Butterflies
by Selene13
Summary: Completed! Remus actually fainted on a Muggle street! But that incident changed his life forever...RR please! LupinOC
1. Alexandra

Disclaimer: Alexandra belongs to me; the rest belongs to J.K Rowling.  
  
Chapter 1: Alexandra  
  
"Privet Drive...no.4..." Remus Lupin looked up from the slip of Muggle paper, then at the house at Privet Drive. "Here it is!" Remus said, pleased that he found no.4 Privet Drive. He marched up to the front door of no.4, checked himself to see if he was dressed properly like a Muggle and knocked the door.  
  
A few moments later, a big, beefy man with hardly any neck but a very large moustache opened the door. "Yes?"  
  
"Does Harry Potter live here?" Remus asked politely.  
  
Uncle Vernon examined Remus from head to toe with his eyes. Remus was wearing a white Muggle T-shirt with the black words: "I'm not what you think I am", a pair of long blue jeans, a pair of white and blue sneakers and a pair of dark sunglasses. "No."  
  
Remus frowned a little. "Is this No.4 Privet Drive?"  
  
"Yes...I mean no." Uncle Vernon lied quickly.  
  
Remus took a brief glance at the door number beside the door, then at the sign at the corner of the street. He glared at Uncle Vernon over his sunglasses. "Do I look like an idiot to you?"  
  
Uncle Vernon swallowed. "No...Yo-you look like a weirdo in a T- shirt..oops."  
  
Remus scowled darkly at him and Uncle Vernon went pale. "Get Harry here." Remus ordered.  
  
Uncle Vernon cleared his throat and yelled: "POTTER! YOU HAVE A VISITOR!"  
  
Harry rushed down the stairs, said, "Hi.." and stopped dead on his tracks when he saw Uncle Vernon's dark look.  
  
"Who. Is. He?" Uncle Vernon demanded.  
  
Remus looked at Harry's clothes (which seem too big for him) then at Uncle Vernon in disgust. Sirius is right; these Muggles are not treating Harry well.  
  
"He's my teacher from my school. At least I think he is....Professor Lupin, is that you?"  
  
Remus took off his sunglasses. "Yes."  
  
"Whatever, just keep him away from me." Uncle Vernon snapped and marched upstairs.  
  
"What a nice attitude." Remus said sarcastically.  
  
"Sorry about him." Harry said apologetically. "By the way, why are you wearing like that?"  
  
"I have to dress like a Muggle if I want to visit you. So, do I look like one?" Remus asked nervously, putting his sunglasses back on.  
  
Harry looked at him and realized that his sunglasses were so dark that he wondered how Remus could see through them. "Err..Professor? Are those sunglasses necessary?"  
  
"Oops, sorry." Remus said and took off his sunglasses, showing the dark circles under his eyes.  
  
"Oops, I forgot that it is a full moon last night. I think you better put them back on." Harry advised and Remus put the sunglasses back on. "Anyway, you look just like a Muggle. So..what's the purpose of you doing here?"  
  
"I got something from Padfoot. He wants to give it to you personally but he can't because the Muggles might still think that he is a escaped convict and get the....the....what's the Muggle term of Aurors?"  
  
"Police."  
  
"Yeah, that's it. Police. We know that his name has been cleared but he thinks that it's a lot safer for me to be here instead of him." Remus said, passing a thick package to Harry.  
  
"What is it?" Harry asked curiously.  
  
"The MPP official book. Sirius made it. There are a lot of interesting information about your parents and Sirius."  
  
"You?" Harry asked shortly.  
  
"Yes, and me too. And absolutely no Peter..." Remus said and saw Dudley standing at the head of the stairs, staring at him in horror.  
  
"Har-Harry? Is, is that a-a wizard?" Dudley asked with his voice shook.  
  
"Yes, he is my teacher. Professor, this is Dudley, my cousin." Harry introduced.  
  
"Oh, hello!" Remus smiled brightly and looked bewildered when he saw Dudley yelped, ran to his bedroom and slammed the door shut. "What's wrong with him?"  
  
"He's afraid of us. Hagrid gave him a pig tail and Fred and George gave him a sweet that causes his tongue to grow.." Harry trailed off.  
  
"Oh." Was what Remus could only say. "Well, I got to go back and get some sleep." Remus said and yawned. "Have a...I mean, try to have a nice holiday, all right?"  
  
Harry grinned and nodded. "I will."  
  
Remus smiled, "Bye, see you after summer." He put his hands in his pockets and walked down the path. He looked up and saw Dudley looking out of his window. He waved goodbye and Dudley disappeared from his sight immediately.  
  
***  
  
Remus walked on the pavement tiredly. He shook his head, trying to clear it. "All right, Remus, the faster you get home, the faster you can rest..." He told himself. Great, why did he have to offer to deliver the book for Harry?  
  
"Because you are a kind man, that's why." A voice in his head answered.  
  
"Whatever, I just want to go home...."Remus said to himself wearily and rubbed his temple. "No, I need a place to rest...No, I can't take it any longer.."  
  
THUD  
  
And everything went black.  
  
***  
  
Remus opened his eyes slowly. The first thing he saw was a pair of blue eyes that belongs to a pretty girl with brown hair. "Who are you?" was the only thing he could say.  
  
"Hey, thank goodness you have awakened!" The girl said in delight. "I'm Alexandra."  
  
"Where am I?" Remus asked weakly and finally found himself lying on a couch in a living room that was filled with butterflies. Not real butterflies, just butterfly patterns all over the room. Wallpapers with butterflies pictures, lamps that are in shapes of butterflies..you get the idea.  
  
"My house. You fainted right in front of my house so I brought you in." Alexandra explained and smiled.  
  
"I fainted?!" Remus exclaimed.  
  
Alexandra nodded and a concern look spread across her face. "Are you all right? You look quite ill."  
  
Remus struggled to sit up. "I'm fine. It's all right, it happens to me all the time." He said and tried to smile.  
  
"Didn't you go and see a doctor?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"I did, but the doctors can't do anything about it." Remus lied. That was almost true, when a werewolf bit him; there was no cure at that time. And now Snape wasn't around to give him the Wolfsbane Potion since it was now school holidays. "Anyway, I am fine now." He said.  
  
Alexandra didn't look convinced.  
  
"Really." Remus gave her a smile and got himself up from the couch. "Thank you for..you know, bringing me into your house."  
  
Alexandra blushed a little and gave a shy smile. "You're welcome."  
  
"By the way, what's your name again?" Remus asked, beginning to like this young lady.  
  
"Alexandra Skipper." Alexandra said. "You?"  
  
"Oops, I forgot to introduce myself. I am Remus," Remus said, holding out his hand, "Remus Lupin."  
  
Alexandra shook his outstretched hand. "This is quite a odd way to meet." She smiled. "Do you live around here? Maybe I can see you home."  
  
Remus' eyes widened. "Nonono, I don't live here, but I need to get to London.." He said in panic.  
  
"Oh London! So you live in London?"  
  
"No, I need to get to the King's Cross Station." Remus explained.  
  
"I will get you a cab." Alexandra said and reached for the telephone.  
  
"A cab?" Remus echoed. "I don't have enough Mug- I mean, money to take a cab."  
  
"Oh, don't worry, I can lend you some." Alexandra said, and then she spoke to the phone, "Hello? Can you send me a cab here to bring someone to the King's Cross Station in London? You can? Within five minutes? Hold on." She put her hand over the mouthpiece. "Mr. Lupin, can you wait for five minutes?"  
  
Remus just had to nod. He's couldn't turn down her nice offer.  
  
Alexandra turned back to the phone. "Yes, he can wait. The address is No. 12 Vanessa Drive. See you later then. Bye." She hung up, put her hand in her pocket and dug out a couple of bills. "Here." She said and put the money on Remus' hand.  
  
"Thanks, I will pay you back." Remus smiled.  
  
"You don't have to."  
  
"I insist. Are you free next Saturday?" Remus asked. 


	2. I'm not dating! I think

Disclaimer: The characters and places that you know belongs to J.K Rowling. The rest belong to me.  
  
Chapter 2: I'm Not Dating! I Think.  
  
"Hey Remus! Where have you been? You should be home hours ago!" Sirius demanded when Remus stepped into his house later that night.  
  
"I fainted on the street." Remus said flatly.  
  
Sirius' eyes widened with shock. "On a Muggle street?!"  
  
Remus nodded. "After I delivered the book to Harry." He said and dropped down on his chair.  
  
"Geez, maybe I shouldn't let you to deliver that book for me. Are you all right?" Sirius asked in concern and went to the kitchen to get something for Remus.  
  
"I'm all right." Remus said.  
  
"So what happened then?" Sirius asked, handing Remus a glass of cold water and a bar of chocolate.  
  
"Thanks. Anyway, when I woke up, I was lying in a living room." Remus paused, taking a sip from his drink. "That belongs to a Muggle. She's pretty nice, she even called a cab to bring me home and gave me some Muggle money for the ride."  
  
"Wait, did you just say "she"?" Sirius asked.  
  
Remus took a bite from his chocolate. "Yeah. She's a young pretty Muggle. Her name is Alexandra. I asked her out next week to pay her back the money."  
  
"Asked her out?" Sirius echoed.  
  
"Yes. Hey, don't get any wrong idea all right? I just want to pay her back the money." Remus said quickly when he saw Sirius grinning.  
  
"Uh huh." Sirius said and nodded slowly, not convinced. He put his hands behind his back and started to sing: "Remus and Alexandra sitting on a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First.."  
  
Remus responded by pretending to throw his chocolate bar at him and Sirius ran upstairs, laughing as loud as he could.  
  
***  
  
On Saturday, Remus stared at his clothes, wondering what to wear. Robes were totally out of question. Muggle suits were too formal..He clicked his tongue and just grabbed a blue Muggle T-shirt and black jeans. He put them on and went out of his room. When he arrived at the door, he saw Sirius standing there, staring at him.  
  
"No way Sirius, I am not bringing you there." Remus said.  
  
"On come on, Remus, I want to see what's your date looks like." Sirius begged.  
  
"No. And I am not dating. It is an appointment." Remus said firmly and opened the door.  
  
"Please?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Pretty please?"  
  
"Stay." Remus said, as if he was talking to a dog. That's true; Sirius can transform himself into a dog when he wants to.  
  
And he did, He transformed himself into a dog and looked at Remus with puppy eyes.  
  
"No." Remus said, trying not to laugh and left.  
  
When Remus closed the door behind him, Sirius transformed back and frowned. Then he grinned. He rushed to Remus' room, made a mess of his neat cupboard and dug out a Muggle shirt, windbreaker and jeans.  
  
"Where did Moony get all these from? Oh well." Sirius said to himself, went to his own room, grabbed his sunglasses and Chudley Cannons cap and put them on.  
  
"Here I come!" Sirius yelled and disapparated.  
  
***  
  
Remus ran to the coffee shop and smiled at his watch. "Great! I'm early!" He panted. Boy, Muggle places are sure hard to find in Muggle London.  
  
He folded his arms and leaned against the glass doors. Out of the corner of his eye, Remus thought that he saw something staring at him at the bookshop nearby. He turned and saw someone lowering his head quickly behind a Muggle comic book. Remus frowned. He could easily see the Chudley Cannons cap and recognized it. "Sirius." He muttered and started to march towards the bookshop when someone called him.  
  
Remus turned around. "Hello, Miss Skipper." He gave a glance at the bookshop. "I will get back to you tonight, Sirius." He thought and turned to Alexandra.  
  
"Have you been waiting for a long time?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"Oh no." Remus said, put his hand into his pocket and took out some Muggle money. "Here."  
  
"Thanks." Alexandra said and took them.  
  
They stood silently for a while.  
  
"How about a drink? My treat." Remus offered. "To thank you for helping me."  
  
"Oh no, I..." Alexandra started.  
  
"Please." Remus said.  
  
"Well...if you insist..." Alexandra started slowly and they went in.  
  
Sirius put down the Muggle comic. "Appointment? Yeah right." He grinned and twisted his cap round, with the peak now at the back. He went straight to the coffee shop and entered. He spotted Remus and Alexandra sitting near the window with their backs facing him, ordering their drinks. He sat down at the stool not far away from them and the lady asked him if he wanted to drink anything.  
  
"Yeah, a glass of Butterbeer." Sirius said absentmindedly, looking at Remus and Alexandra.  
  
"Excuse me?" The lady asked in bewilderment. "Butter-what?"  
  
Sirius' head snapped back to her immediately. "Oh! I mean, a glass of..." He paused. What do Muggles drink? He stared at the word "coffee" at the sign outside. "Err, how do you pronounce that word?" He asked, pointing at the sign.  
  
The lady stared at him. "Coffee." She said finally.  
  
"Is that a drink?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Yes." The lady said, wondering if this guy is here to make trouble.  
  
"I'll have one of that then." Sirius said.  
  
"Milk?"  
  
"Excuse me?" Sirius asked blankly.  
  
"Do you want your coffee with milk or without?" The lady asked impatiently.  
  
"No thanks. I hate milk." Sirius said.  
  
The lady left and came back with a cup of dark liquid. Sirius paid her with a piece of Muggle money that he had found in Remus' pocket.  
  
He stared at the coffee.  
  
He lifted the cup to nose and sniffed it. "Smell nice." Sirius commented and took a small sip.  
  
He made a face of disgust. What do Muggles see in this drink? It is bitter like hell. He put the cup down, decided not to touch it. He watched Remus and Alexandra and frowned. They just drank their own drinks and didn't say anything to each other. He rolled his eyes. If Remus didn't do anything, he would make him.  
  
He called to the lady. "Excuse me, do you have a piece of parch...I mean, paper and a pen?" He asked, pleased for himself for remembering his Muggle Studies lessons correctly.  
  
The lady gave him the things and Sirius scribbled on the paper. He turned around, crashed the paper into a tight ball, aimed and threw the ball at the back of Remus' head.  
  
"Ouch! What the.." Remus said and frowned at the paper ball on the floor.  
  
"What's wrong? Alexandra asked.  
  
"Nothing." Remus said and bended down to take the paper ball. He smoothened the paper ball on the floor and stared at the words: "Ask something about her, will you?"  
  
He looked at Sirius, who gave an impatient look back. Remus sat up straight and smiled at Alexandra. "So...Miss Skipper?" He asked uncertainly.  
  
"Just call me Alexandra. Mind if I call you Remus?" Alexandra smiled.  
  
"No, not at all. So Alexandra, what are your interests?" Remus asked.  
  
"Butterflies. And..you probably think that it is childish." Alexandra said embarrassedly.  
  
"Go on." Remus encouraged.  
  
"I like to watch and read about magic. And I believe in fairies and magical stuff. Childish, isn't it?"  
  
Remus shook his head firmly. "I don't think so. Magic is amazing." He said. "And I use them almost everyday." He added silently to himself.  
  
"You think so?" Alexandra asked excitedly. "My friends think that there is no such thing as magic."  
  
"They will be shock to death if they know who I really am." Remus thought.  
  
"I like to see the dawn too." Alexandra said. "I think it's beautiful."  
  
"How old are you?" Remus asked suddenly.  
  
"22. I'm on my last year of university." Alexandra smiled. "You?"  
  
Remus folded his arms and smiled. "Guess."  
  
Alexandra looked at his young handsome face and then at his grey and light brown hair. "I don't know, you look young but your hair.."  
  
Remus grinned. "34."  
  
"You are kidding!" Alexandra exclaimed.  
  
Remus shook his head. "No. My hair colour is natural." He said, pointing at his head.  
  
"What are you working as?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"Teacher." Remus said automatically.  
  
"Teaching what?"  
  
Remus frowned. What Muggle subject do Defence Against the Dark Arts resembles? Zoology? No, that's Care For Magical Creatures..  
  
"It's all right if you don't want to tell me." Alexandra said, "Which school did you teach?"  
  
"Just a boarding school." Remus said truthfully and both of them went silent again.  
  
Sirius scribbled on another paper, crumbled it and threw it again at Remus.  
  
Remus picked the ball up, smoothened it and read: "Ask her out for a movie or something."  
  
Remus smiled and turned to Alexandra. "Are you free tomorrow? Want to catch a movie?"  
  
Alexandra clapped her hands in joy. "I love to! How about 3pm tomorrow?"  
  
***  
  
When Remus came home, he spotted Sirius reading "Flying with the Cannons" on his chair. He marched to him and Sirius held up his hands. "Okay! I'm guilty for following you!"  
  
"Don't you dare to follow me again on my next date." Remus warned.  
  
Sirius grinned evilly. "Aha! So you are dating with Alexandra!"  
  
Remus blushed furiously. "No, I'm not!" He protested. "Anyway, I'm off to bed!" Remus said and rushed upstairs.  
  
Sirius was silently congratulating himself for playing Cupid when he thought, "Did I clean up Remus' room just now?"  
  
"SIRIUS BLACK! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY ROOM?!" Remus bellowed from upstairs.  
  
Okay, so he didn't. 


	3. Watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's...

Disclaimer: The characters and places that you know belongs to J.K Rowling. The rest belong to me.  
  
This stands for the movie parts. Yes, spoilers for the movie!  
  
Thank you for all your reviews!  
  
Lil Lupin- I know that once Sirius' name is clear, Harry can live with him, but I think it is more fun by putting him as Remus' roommate. And Sirius did care about Harry in Chap 1, just that I forgot to write Sirius' question about Harry in, : p  
  
Culf- Remus will tell her that he's a wizard, but not now and not in the near future either.  
  
Chapter 3: Watching Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone  
  
"Hi Remus!" Alexandra called and Remus turned to her after making sure that Sirius was not lurking around. "Hi, Alexandra. Can we go in now?"  
  
Alexandra shook her head. "No, we have to buy our tickets first."  
  
"Good, you pay for your ticket while I pay for mine." Remus said, taking out his wallet.  
  
"Fine with me." Alexandra said and they made their way to the ticket counter.  
  
Remus gave his Muggle money that he exchanged at Gringotts that morning to Alexandra and he waited patiently when he heard Alexandra saying to the ticket lady: "Two tickets for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone."  
  
Remus went pale immediately. "What did you just say?" He asked frantically.  
  
Alexandra turned to him. "That's the movie title, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. I thought that it would be quite interesting to watch that. Thanks." She said when the lady passed her their tickets. "Why? You don't like Harry Potter?"  
  
"Of course, he's my favorite student." Remus said automatically. "I mean, Harry Potter is my favorite character." He corrected quickly when he saw Alexandra's confused look.  
  
"Great, for a moment I thought that you might not like it." Alexandra smiled. "Want to buy some popcorn?"  
  
"Pop-what?" Remus asked in confusion.  
  
"Popcorn."  
  
"What is popcorn?" Remus asked when he realized that he asked the wrong question.  
  
"You don't know what's popcorn?" Alexandra asked and bought herself a small bucket of yellow stuff. "This is a bucket of popcorn. See? It is covered with honey."  
  
Remus stared at it. "No thanks."  
  
"Oh great, now she probably thinks that I am some Muggle that come from some countryside." Remus thought flatly.  
  
***  
  
"Oh look, the movie is starting." Alexandra said excitedly while Remus folded his arms, wondering what does the kid that the Muggles get to play Harry look like.  
  
"I should have known that you will be here...." Richard Harris smiled. "Professor McGonagall."  
  
The cat transformed into Maggie Smith. "Good evening Professor Dumbledore. Are the rumors true, Albus?"  
  
"I afraid so Professor, the good, and the bad."  
  
"And the boy?"  
  
"Hagrid is bringing him."  
  
"You think it is wise? To trust Hagrid with something as important as this?"  
  
"Ah Professor, I would trust Hagrid with my life." Both Richard and Maggie turned and watched Robbie Coltrane riding on a motorcycle.   
  
"Hey, that's Sirius' motorcycle!" Remus said. "How did the Muggle know how to fly it?"  
  
"What?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"Nothing." Remus said quickly.  
  
"Albus, do you think it is safe, leaving him with all these people, I have watched them all day, they are the worst kind of Muggles imagined. They really are-." Maggie and Richard finished her sentence, "The only family he has."   
  
"You can say that again, McGonagall." Remus muttered.  
  
Robbie sniffed and Richard turned to him. "There, there Hagrid, it is not really goodbye after all."  
  
Robbie nodded and Maggie watched as Richard placed a letter with the words "Mr. and Mrs. V Dursley 4 Privet Drive Little Whinging Surrey" on it.  
  
"Good luck. Harry Potter."   
  
***  
  
The movie went on until the part where Uncle Vernon pushed Harry into the house and grabbed his hair.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"I swear that I don't know! One minute the glass was there and then it's gone! It's like magic!" Daniel Radcliffe cried.  
  
Richard Griffiths pushed him into the cupboard under the stairs. "There is no such thing as magic!"   
  
"How dare you treat Harry like that." Remus said and scowled.  
  
"Horrible, isn't he?" Alexandra whispered.  
  
"You knew, you knew it all along and you never even told me!" Daniel exclaimed.  
  
"Of course we knew, how could you not be! My perfect sister being what she was. My mother and father were so...proud when she got her letter. 'We have a witch in the family, isn't it wonderful?' I am the only one who could see what she really was, a FREAK!" Fiona Shaw said in disgust.   
  
"Lily is not a freak!" Remus protested loudly.  
  
"Remus, what are you doing?" Alexandra said in shock.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Never. Insult. Albus. Dumbledore. In front of me." Robbie warned and put a pig tail on Dudley's behind.  
  
"Wow! So that's how Hagrid did it! I'm going to praise him when I got back to Hogwarts! Serves that pig right!" Remus said excitedly.  
  
"What?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"First, you have to understand this Harry, it's very important. Not all the wizards are good. Some of them go bad and a few years ago, there is one who went as bad as you can go. And his name was Vol- sigh, his name was Vol- ." Robbie couldn't say the word.  
  
"Maybe you could write it down." Daniel said.  
  
"Nah, I can't spell it. All right, Voldemort."  
  
"Voldemort?" Daniel asked.  
  
"Shh!"  
  
Daniel looked behind him.  
  
"It was dark times, Harry, dark times." The screen flashbacked into a hooded figure walking. "Voldemort went to gather some followers, brought them over to the dark side..."  
  
As Remus watched the hooded figure pointed his wand at a keyhole, he wondered which family was the Muggles portraying on. Then he frowned. Wait a minute...the house looked familiar..  
  
"Anyone who stood up to him ended up dead."   
  
The screen then showed a red-hair woman looking horrified and screaming in silence.  
  
Remus went pale. "Lily?" He whispered. The actress (Geraldine Somerville) looks too much like Lily herself, and the resemblance scared him.  
  
"Your parents fought against him. But nobody lived once he decides to kill them."   
  
The screen then showed Geraldine screaming in terror and died as Voldemort pointed his wand at her.  
  
"LILY!" Remus shouted, standing up.  
  
"Remus! What are you doing?!" Alexandra asked in shock.  
  
Remus sat down, with his hands shook as he continued to watch the scene where Voldemort pointed his wand at the baby.  
  
"Nobody, not one. Except you."   
  
Remus swallowed and clutched his fists tightly. He is going to hate Voldemort more than ever.  
  
***  
  
"You won't make a fool of yourself. It's in your blood." Emma Watson said.  
  
And the screen showed Emma pointing at something in a glass case.  
  
"Wow! Harry, you didn't tell me that your father is a Seeker too!" Rupert Grint said in awe.  
  
"That's not right, James is a Chaser, not a Seeker." Remus protested.  
  
"You read the book too?" Alexandra asked.  
  
Remus stared at her, wondering what book was she talking about, but he nodded to play along with her.  
  
The movie went on and showed Daniel opening his gift.  
  
"What is it?" Rupert asked.  
  
"I don't know, some kind of cloak.."  
  
"Well, put it on then."  
  
Daniel put it on and his body became invisible.   
  
"Hey, James' invisibility cloak doesn't look like that!" Remus protested.  
  
"Sh!" Someone hissed from behind. "Will you shut up already?!"  
  
"Sorry."  
  
The screen showed Daniel walking towards the Mirror of Erised and images appeared. Remus swallowed at what he saw.  
  
"Mom?" Daniel asked.  
  
Geraldine nodded.  
  
"Dad?" Daniel asked again.  
  
The actor who was playing James Potter (Adrian Rawlins) smiled and nodded.  
  
Geraldine's smile faded when Daniel tried to touch her and Daniel looked disappointed.   
  
"Aww." Alexandra whispered.  
  
***  
  
When the movie was about to end, Robbie gave Daniel an album. "This is for you."  
  
Daniel opened it and saw a picture of Geraldine and Adrian playing with a baby. Daniel smiled as he watched Geraldine and Adrian kissing the baby. "Thanks Hagrid." He said and hugged Robbie.   
  
Remus closed his eyes and let his tears flow. It seems only yesterday when Lily and James were showing him Harry and Harry put James' wand into his mouth, sucking it like a lollipop. James had to spend a long time trying to get his wand back. Harry even cried when James got his wand and he cried so loudly that Remus and James had to cover their ears. In the end Lily gave Harry a sugar quill and Harry went quiet, sucking his quill.  
  
But that was years ago. Lily and James are dead. Betrayed by that traitor Peter Pettigrew and killed by that monster, Voldemort. Remus lost all his closest friends with the death of the Potters and imprisonment of Sirius in Azkaban, all because of that rat.  
  
"Remus? The movie is over...Remus, are you all right?" Alexandra asked in concern.  
  
"I'm fine." Remus said, wiping his tears away.  
  
"Oh my God, you are crying..." Alexandra started.  
  
"No." Remus lied. "Come on, let's go."  
  
***  
  
"Hey Remus! How's your date? I got a mail from Harry, he said that he loves that book!" Sirius put down his quill and chattered when Remus stepped in and stopped when he noticed that Remus looked totally upset. "What happen? Did you two quarrel or something?"  
  
Remus shook his head slowly.  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"Sirius, do you still think of Lily and James?" Remus asked.  
  
"Yeah. Sometimes." Sirius admitted. "You know, I still remember the time when James asked me to be Harry's godfather....why do you want to ask that for?"  
  
Remus shook his head and walked slowly upstairs, muttering something that sounds like "Goodnight."  
  
Sirius looked after him, shrugged and returned to his letter to Harry but the more he tried to write, the more he thought of what he had seen at the scene where Lily and James died.  
  
Debris of their house.  
  
And their bodies.  
  
James just lied among the debris, looking at him with lifeless eyes. He still had his wand clutched in his cold hand. Lily with her face down....  
  
Sirius stared at the letter and put the quill down. Suddenly he didn't feel like writing anymore. 


	4. Surprise at the Beach

Disclaimer: The characters and places that you know belongs to J.K Rowling. The rest belong to me.  
  
Thank you for the reviews! And thank you, Isis Malfoy, for being my Beta- reader!  
  
Chapter 4: Surprise at the beach  
  
A few days later, Remus felt quite better and went straight to Alexandra's house.  
  
"Hi." Remus said flatly when Alexandra opened the door.  
  
"Hi Remus." Alexandra smiled. "Come in."  
  
Remus went in and Alexandra closed the door. "I'm here to apologize."  
  
"For what?" Alexandra asked blankly.  
  
"For losing control at the cinema." Remus said and stared at the floor.  
  
"No, I'm the one who should say sorry. I shouldn't have let you to watch that movie." Alexandra said softly. "Have a seat."  
  
Remus sat down. "Can I explain why I am so upset?"  
  
Alexandra nodded.  
  
"My friends. They are dead. Murdered by a crazy killer." Remus said. That was true; Voldemort killed not only the Potters, but also Cedric Diggory, the Bones, the McKinnons, the Prewetts and a lot more.  
  
"Just like Voldemort?" Alexandra asked softly.  
  
Remus nodded. "Nobody lived once that monster decided to kill them." He said with hatred in his eyes. "That's why I was so upset. That movie reminded me too much of my friends, especially at the end."  
  
"You mean they had a son too?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"Yes. But he's dead too." Remus lied.  
  
"Oh, I'm sorry." Alexandra whispered.  
  
"It's okay. They've been dead for 16 years. I will get over it." Remus said. "So, any plans tomorrow?"  
  
"Are you sure you are okay?"  
  
"Of course I am."  
  
"All right...how about the beach?"  
  
***  
  
"Come on, Sirius...." Remus pleaded that night.  
  
"No way."  
  
"Just for one day."  
  
"No."  
  
"Come on, I won't ruin it..." Remus started.  
  
"Give me a reason why you want to borrow it." Sirius said without looking up from his "Quidditch Through the Ages" book.  
  
"I think it is rather cool."  
  
"To impress that belladonna? Hey, I didn't put a thief curse on it. What if some Muggles stole it?"  
  
"Please? I will put a thief curse on it." Remus reassured.  
  
Sirius didn't look up.  
  
"You don't want to lend it? Fine." Remus said and went upstairs, taking two steps at a time.  
  
"WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT TO BORROW MY MOTORCYCLE WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO RIDE A MUGGLE BICYCLE?!" Sirius yelled after him.  
  
***  
  
"The sun is nice today." Alexandra said cheerfully at the beach the next day. She was wearing a T-shirt with shorts and she had a baseball cap on her head.  
  
"It sure is." Remus agreed, pushing up his sunglasses. He was wearing a white T-shirt and Bermuda shorts. "Need any help on those?" He asked, looking at Alexandra carrying a picnic basket and a beach bag.  
  
"It's okay, I can manage. Just don't drop my beach umbrella." Alexandra warned gently.  
  
"Sure."  
  
They chose a sunny spot and sat down. Alexandra dropped on her knees and opened her beach bag, taking out her swimsuit and her suntan lotion. "I'm going to change, wait here all right?"  
  
Remus nodded and when Alexandra left, he picked up the suntan lotion and examined it. "What the heck is this?" He muttered. This didn't look like something to drink.  
  
He opened it and sniffed it.  
  
He poured it and stared at the white creamy liquid on his palm.  
  
He turned the bottle around and read the instructions.  
  
"Oh, this can protect my skin from what? UV rays? What is that?"  
  
"That liquid can protect you from sunburn." A voice said and Remus turned around.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore?!" He gasped, taking off his sunglasses. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Dumbledore smiled. "Not only me, but also half of the teaching staff. Didn't Sirius tell you yesterday? We were planning to ask you to come along but you were out."  
  
Remus looked behind Dumbledore and saw Snape lying on the sand under the umbrella, with his eyes closed. Madam Hooch was playing Muggle volleyball with Professor McGonagall, Professor Sprouts and Madam Pomfrey. Hagrid was munching on a sandwich and cheering Professor McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey.  
  
"No. Sirius didn't tell me." Remus said finally, wiping the suntan lotion on his arm.  
  
"So are you alone? Care to join us?" Dumbledore said kindly.  
  
"Err...." Remus started when Alexandra came along in her swimsuit. "Hi Remus, sorry for taking so long. Oh hi." She said cheerfully to Dumbledore. "Are you Remus' friend?"  
  
"Yes." Dumbledore grinned.  
  
"Err, Alexandra? This is my school's Headmaster, Mr. ...err.." Remus couldn't find the right name.  
  
"Mr. Harris. Pleased to meet you, Miss Alexandra." Dumbledore said, holding out his hand.  
  
"Hello." Alexandra said, shaking his hand. "Did I just hear you mention something about joining your crowd?"  
  
Dumbledore nodded.  
  
"Can we join you?" Alexandra asked and Remus' mouth dropped open.  
  
"Sure, if you like."  
  
Remus went pale; Snape would not let him to hear the end of it.  
  
"I will handle Professor Snape and the rest of the teachers." Dumbledore whispered to Remus and turned to Alexandra. "I will tell the rest of the teachers that you are coming." He said and went to the teachers.  
  
***  
  
"Professors, we have two special guests so be nice." Dumbledore said to the teachers.  
  
"They are Muggles, right?" Snape said without opening his eyes.  
  
"Yes and no."  
  
"Huh?" Madam Hooch asked, wiping the sweat off her forehead.  
  
"You know one of them." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Potter or Granger?" Snape asked.  
  
"Neither."  
  
"Then who are they?" Madam Pomfrey asked.  
  
"I will get them and one more thing, don't tell the Muggle anything about the wizarding world. And call me Mr. Harris."  
  
"Why?" Professor McGonagall asked in bewilderment.  
  
"Because our surnames are too familiar and too unusual to Muggles." Dumbledore said and left.  
  
"Okay, we have to think up of Muggle names. I have one in mind. Miss Brodie. Jean Brodie." Professor McGonagall said.  
  
"Then I'll have.. Zoë...ah, forget it, just call me Zoë." Madam Hooch said.  
  
"I'm Miss Jones." Madam Pomfrey said.  
  
"Just call me Georgia." Professor Sprouts said.  
  
"An' I'm Robbie, yeh know, like ter Muggle who's playing me in tha' Muggle movie." Hagrid said.  
  
"What about you, Professor Snape?" Madam Hooch asked.  
  
"No way. I like my name."  
  
"Come on.."  
  
"All right, all right. Alan." Snape snapped.  
  
"Here they are, Professors!" Dumbledore said cheerfully and steered the two people to the teachers.  
  
"Professor Lupin! What a surprise!" Professor McGonagall said and Snape opened his eyes and glared at Remus darkly.  
  
"Hi." Remus said nervously.  
  
"Professors, meet Miss Alexandra." Dumbledore introduced.  
  
"Hello." The teachers said.  
  
"Hi there." Madam Hooch said. "I'm Zoë, the school's Sports teacher." She smiled and pointed at all the teachers. "This is Miss Jean Brodie, the School's Deputy Headmistress, Miss Jones, the school nurse. Georgia, the school's Botany teacher, Robbie, the school's Zoology teacher and Alan, the school's Chemistry teacher."  
  
Snape grunted and closed his eyes again.  
  
"Don't bother about him, Alexandra. That guy is a grouch." Madam Hooch grinned.  
  
"Shut up, Zoë." Snape said without opening his eyes.  
  
"Come on, let's play volleyball. Want to play?" Madam Hooch said and picked the ball up from the sand.  
  
"Sure." Alexandra said happily.  
  
***  
  
"Hey Remus." Madam Hooch said and dropped down to sit beside him an hour later.  
  
"Hi Madam Hooch." Remus smiled.  
  
"So who is that girl?" Madam Hooch asked.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore told you, she's Alexandra."  
  
"Uh huh. And?" Madam Hooch asked, staring at Remus, expecting him to say some more.  
  
Remus shifted uncomfortably. "And what?"  
  
Madam Hooch grinned. "Is she your.."  
  
"She's not my girlfriend!" Remus said quickly.  
  
"Hey, I didn't even finish my sentence!" Madam Hooch said and her grin went wider. "So do you like her?"  
  
Remus blushed deeply.  
  
"Aw, you're blushing!" Madam Hooch pointed out.  
  
"I'm too old for her. She's 22. I'm 34." Remus said, folding his arms and refused to look at Madam Hooch.  
  
Madam Hooch rolled her eyes. "How old is Professor Dumbledore?"  
  
"150 years old." Remus said.  
  
"And how old is Professor McGonagall?"  
  
"70 years old."  
  
"Look at them, do they look like they are unsuitable for each other?" Madam Hooch pointed and Remus turned his attention to the two professors, who were sitting comfortably on the sand. Professor McGonagall was resting her head on Dumbledore's shoulder with her eyes closed and Dumbledore had his right arm around her.  
  
"No." Remus said finally.  
  
"What's the age difference between them?"  
  
"80 years."  
  
"And what's the age difference between you and Alexandra?"  
  
"12 years."  
  
"So that's it! If they can get along, so can you and Alexandra!" Madam Hooch said as if it was the simplest thing in the world. Madam Hooch leaned close. "Offer to see her home tonight, all right?"  
  
Remus stared at Madam Hooch. "How do you know things like that?"  
  
Madam Hooch grinned. "Honey, I am older than you and I have seen and learned a lot of things, okay?"  
  
***  
  
"Remus, it's getting dark and I have to get back home now.." Alexandra started a few hours later.  
  
Madam Hooch nudged Remus in the ribs.  
  
"I will see you home." Remus said, getting up from the sand.  
  
"There's no need...."  
  
"I insist. It is not safe for a girl to walk alone at night." Remus said and took Alexandra's beach bag. "Everyone! Alexandra and I have to go now! See you after summer!"  
  
"Too bad that you can't join us for our over-night at the chalet." Madam Hooch said to Alexandra. "Well, hope to see you again."  
  
"Me too." Alexandra said, shaking Madam Hooch's hand.  
  
When Alexandra and Remus left, they heard Madam Hooch saying: "Stop pretending to be asleep, Alan! Remus is gone!"  
  
***  
  
"Ah! I am finally home!" Alexandra cried when she opened her door. "I'm beat. Just put the stuff by the door, I will take care of it tomorrow. Want a drink, Remus? I will get one for you."  
  
Remus shook his head. "No, you are tired enough. I will get it myself."  
  
Alexandra smiled. "You are considerate. Anyway, the kitchen is over there. Help yourself."  
  
As Remus went to the kitchen and searched for something to drink, Alexandra suddenly asked, "Doesn't she mind?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Your wife. Doesn't she mind about you hanging out here all the time?"  
  
Remus walked out of the kitchen, holding his glass of water and stared at Alexandra. "Wife?"  
  
"Don't you have a wife?"  
  
Remus continued to stare at her and suddenly started laughing.  
  
"What?" Alexandra asked in bewilderment.  
  
"I don't have a wife," Remus said when he stopped laughing. "I am still single."  
  
"No girlfriend?" Alexandra asked, trying not to sound hopeful.  
  
Remus shook his head. "Who is willing to love a werewolf?"  
  
"What?" Alexandra asked, not believing what she had heard.  
  
"I mean, I act like a wolf sometimes, you know, snapping at people and something like that." Remus said quickly.  
  
"You don't look like the type who snaps at people." Alexandra said.  
  
"Yeah, I only snap at them when I am very mad." Remus said and gave her a grin. He finished his glass of water and went to the kitchen to rinse it. "Well, I've got to go now. Have a good rest."  
  
"When will I see you again?" Alexandra asked when Remus went to the door.  
  
"This Sunday. How about shopping?" Remus asked.  
  
"Sure." Alexandra smiled.  
  
"Great! Goodnight then." Remus smiled and walked down the path, whistling.  
  
Alexandra smiled after him. Remus is awfully nice but she didn't know much about him. She knows that he is 34 years old, single, and a teacher at a boarding school. She sighed, hoping that she would know more about him next time. 


	5. Back to School and Christmas

Disclaimer: See the last 4 chapters.  
  
Chapter 5: Back to School and Christmas  
  
The rest of the summer holidays passed quickly and Alexandra still couldn't find out much about Remus. Soon, it was time for Remus to go back to Hogwarts.  
  
"How am I going to keep in touch with you?" Alexandra asked at the 30th of August.  
  
"When you finish writing your letter to me, just write my name in block letters on the envelope and leave it at your mailbox." Remus said, reminding himself to train his owl to recognize the letter from Alexandra's mailbox.  
  
"No stamp needed?" Alexandra asked.  
  
Remus shook his head and smiled. "Well, hope to see you in the Christmas holidays."  
  
"Hope to see you too." Alexandra said.  
  
"No stamp? How weird." She thought.  
  
***  
  
"Hey Alex, have a nice holiday?" Paris asked when Alexandra came into the class.  
  
Alexandra smiled brightly.  
  
"What's that smile mean? Found something new on butterflies? Or did you catch a rare butterfly during the holidays?" Paris asked, knowing Alexandra's great interest for butterflies.  
  
Alexandra shook her head. "I met this man during the holidays and he's completely wonderful."  
  
"Who? A wizard?" Paris asked in a boring tone.  
  
"No! And Paris, you don't even believe in magic." Alexandra said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Fine. Who is he then?"  
  
"A teacher from a boarding school."  
  
"A teacher?" Paris asked. "How old is he?"  
  
"34."  
  
"What?! Alex, don't you think he is too, you know, old for you?"  
  
"He's not my boyfriend." Alexandra said with her cheeks pink.  
  
"I didn't say that." Paris said and grinned. "But you wish that he is, right?"  
  
Alexandra didn't respond.  
  
"Fine. It's really none of my business anyway but don't let Tim to hear that you have a boy," She paused. "Friend." She finished, separating the word "boyfriend" carefully. "Or he will not let you to hear the end of it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Didn't I tell you? He likes you."  
  
"He? That slimeball? No way! "  
  
"Way. And he is not ashamed to admit it."  
  
"I don't care if he hears that I have a boy friend. I'm not his wife and I can do anything I want."  
  
"By the way, what's that guy look like?"  
  
"Got his picture right here." Alexandra said, taking out a photograph from her bag. The photograph was taken at the beach with the teachers during the holidays.  
  
"Which one?" Paris asked. "The one with greasy hair?"  
  
"No. The one kneeling beside me." Alexandra said and pointed.  
  
"Are you sure he is 34?" Paris asked when she saw Remus' light brown and grey hair.  
  
"Yes, I am sure. He told me." Alexandra said.  
  
"Well, he's quite a catch....."  
  
"What are you two looking at?" A voice asked and Alexandra and Paris turned around.  
  
"Hi Tim." Paris said, snatching the photo and shoved it under her book. "We are looking at my boyfriend's photo."  
  
"I don't know you have a boyfriend." Tim said, ruffling his blond hair.  
  
"It's none of your business whether I have one or not." Paris said, lifting her head up.  
  
"Whatever. Alexandra, are you free this weekend? Want to go bowling?" Tim asked.  
  
"No to both questions. I'm busy." Alexandra said immediately. Tim is Slytherin-type of boy and she rather die than go anywhere with him.  
  
"Fine, I'll ask you next time." Tim said casually, putting his hands in his pockets and left.  
  
"I won't go anywhere with a Slytherin." Alexandra said in disgust.  
  
"Slytherin?" Paris echoed. "What's Slytherin?"  
  
"Didn't you watch Harry Potter?" Alexandra asked.  
  
Paris thought for a while. "Oh yeah! Slytherin. And you are either Gryffindor or Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, am I right?"  
  
"Not Ravenclaw. I'm too dumb for Ravenclaw." Alexandra grinned. "If I am a witch, I wish that I am in Gryffindor."  
  
***  
  
Remus was in the staff room reading Alexandra's letter when Sirius came in quietly, peered over Remus' shoulder and snatched his letter.  
  
"Hey, give it back!" Remus said and he chased Sirius around in the staff room.  
  
"Dear Remus, how are you at the boarding school?" Sirius read aloud while running. "I'm fine. I wonder how my mail is able to get to you even through there is no stamp or address require..." Sirius stopped and Remus grabbed the letter away from him.  
  
"Ha!" Remus said and walked back to his seat.  
  
Sirius just stared at Remus.  
  
"What?" Remus asked.  
  
Sirius swallowed. "Nothing."  
  
***  
  
"Sirius, did you notice something different about Professor Lupin?" Harry asked after the DADA lesson a few days later. (Remus was off sick again and Sirius was the substitute teacher.)  
  
"In what way?" Sirius asked, collecting the students' essays.  
  
"I don't know....maybe weird. I mean, sometimes I can hear him whistling down the stairs. While we are copying down the notes, he is staring out of the window. And a few days ago, he smiled at Professor Snape even after Snape insulted his way of teaching us."  
  
Sirius sighed. "Come on Harry, let's go to the lake."  
  
***  
  
"So this Alexandra is a pure muggle?" Harry asked, sitting on the grass near the lake.  
  
"That's the problem." Sirius said, hanging upside down from a tree branch. "I mean, if Remus tells Alexandra that he is a wizard and a werewolf, she is going to have a nasty shock or worse, leave him. You know, like Voldemort's parents."  
  
"I don't think Professor Lupin is stupid enough to tell her that." Harry said slowly.  
  
"I know, but she's bound to find out sooner or later." Sirius said, caught hold of the tree branch with his both hands and sat upright. "What if their relationship won't work out? How is Alexandra going to accept the fact that her boyfriend is a werewolf? If Alexandra doesn't mind, how is she going to fit in the wizarding world if Remus married her? And what if Alexandra's friends find out about us and tells the rest of the Muggles?" He asked worriedly, swinging his legs.  
  
"Now that is a problem." Harry said. "But look at Seamus' parents. His dad is a Muggle, his mom is a witch, and they can get along just fine. And I think the Ministry of Magic will send obliviators to modify Alexandra's friends' memory if they get to know anything about us."  
  
"Yeah, but Seamus' mom is not a werewolf..." Sirius started.  
  
"Sirius, I think we should let nature to take its course."  
  
"I guess so." Sirius said, jumping down from the tree. "But I hope Remus knows what he is doing. If he forgets to drink the Wolfsbane Potion and goes out with Alexandra on a full moon...." He stopped, shuddered to think what would happen if Remus turned into a werewolf on a Muggle street.  
  
***  
  
Time flies and soon, Christmas holidays were around the corner. Remus decided to stay at home during Christmas ("Yeah right," Sirius said to Harry. "I bet you 3 Galleons that he will visit Alexandra.") While Sirius decided to stay for Hogwarts with Harry and Ron. (Because Ron can't stand Percy at home)  
  
Remus was marking his students' essays when his owl flew in with a letter.  
  
"Thanks." He said and took the letter. He opened the envelope and read:  
  
Dear Remus,  
  
Are you going home for the holidays? If you are, why don't we go out together during Christmas Eve?  
  
Alexandra  
  
Remus looked at his lunar chart and grinned, grabbed his Muggle pen and paper (that he borrowed from Harry so that Alexandra won't know that he is a wizard) and wrote:  
  
Dear Alexandra,  
  
I am going home for the holidays and yes, we will go out together during Christmas Eve. I will meet you at your house on that day.  
  
Remus  
  
After Remus sent his letter, he frowned. Doesn't that mean that he has to buy a Christmas gift for Alexandra? What a Muggle girl like for a gift?  
  
"Looks like I have to ask." He said to himself dryly.  
  
***  
  
"Miss Granger! There you are! Can I ask you something?" Remus said when he caught Hermione on the morning before the students left for the holidays.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Err...how am I going to put it... Ah! Look, I have this Muggle friend and I want to give her a Christmas gift but I don't know what to give her so can you, like, tell me what a Muggle girl like for a gift?"  
  
"How old is she?" Hermione asked.  
  
"22."  
  
"What's she like?"  
  
"Sweet." Remus said shortly.  
  
"Well....I will suggest a music box. Does she like music?"  
  
Remus shrugged. "I dunno. But a music box sounds nice. Thanks, Miss Granger! And 5 points to Gryffindor!"  
  
***  
  
"I bought you a gift, hope that you like it." Remus said, handing Alexandra her gift (which he put in a bag) on his way seeing Alexandra's home during Christmas Eve.  
  
"Why, thank you! I bought yours too." Alexandra said and handed Remus his gift.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"So....how are the rest of the teachers?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"They are fine." Remus said and they went silent.  
  
When they arrived to Alexandra's residence, Alexandra looked down at her digital watch and exclaimed: "Oh look! One minute left until Christmas! Just wait." She whispered and looked at her watch. "Ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one..." She snapped her fingers and the houses around her yelled: "MERRY CHRISTMAS!"  
  
"Merry Christmas!" Alexandra said happily and Remus smiled.  
  
"Want to sit down?"  
  
"Err, no thanks." Remus said quickly.  
  
"Remus, did you forget something?" Alexandra said, trying not to smile.  
  
"What?" Remus asked blankly.  
  
Alexandra pointed upwards and Remus looked up. He raised his eyebrows at the mistletoe at the ceiling. "Oh, that."  
  
He grinned embarrassedly. "Oh well, it's tradition after all.." He said slowly and kissed Alexandra's cheek quickly. He blushed deeply and smiled. "Merry Christmas. I....err, have to go now." He whispered.  
  
Alexandra's cheeks went pink and she smiled back. "Goodnight." She said softly and kissed Remus' cheek before she closed the door.  
  
Remus walked down the path slowly, then he grinned happily to himself and continued walking, whistling.  
  
***  
  
The next morning, Remus started to open his Christmas gifts. First he unwrapped Sirius' gift and received a box of Muggle chocolates. And he grinned at Sirius' card:  
  
Merry Christmas, Moony! How is the belladonna?  
  
Padfoot  
  
Then he received a new suitcase from Harry, a pack of Exploding Snap, a box of wizard chess from Ron, a new year of lunar chart from Hermione, a big Christmas card signed by all teachers, even Snape (Remus assumed that he was forced to write on Remus' card.) And a box of Wolfsbane Potion without a card on it.  
  
"From Snape. Who else?" He said and turned to Alexandra's gift and he received a book on vampires. "Great, I can use it for my DADA lessons." He smiled and picked up Alexandra's card:  
  
Merry Christmas Remus, hope that you are not afraid of vampires.  
  
P.S: I think I am in love with you.  
  
Alexandra  
  
Remus' smile widened when he read that.  
  
***  
  
Alexandra had opened all her gifts and Remus' and Paris' gifts were the ones left. She picked up Remus' gift and unwrapped it.  
  
"Oh, it's beautiful!" She exclaimed at the black music box with a picture of butterfly on the cover and when she opened it, a small butterfly model hovered and danced to the music gaily. "Aw, how cute." She whispered and touched the butterfly's colorful wings gently. She put the music box down and read Remus' card:  
  
Merry Christmas Alexandra, hope that you like music.  
  
P.S: I think I am hopelessly in love with you.  
  
Remus J. Lupin  
  
Alexandra smiled and clutched the card closely to her heart. "Looks like our minds link, Remus." She whispered, thinking of what she had written on Remus' card.  
  
She put down the card and turned to Paris' card:  
  
Merry Christmas, Alex! I know that you like Harry Potter and so I buy these just for you. Hope that you have not read them yet.  
  
Paris  
  
Alexandra opened Paris' gift.  
  
"Paris, you are the best!" She exclaimed and read the titles of the two books again: "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" 


	6. Reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of...

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Stands for the parts of the book  
  
Chapter 6: Reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban  
  
A few days later, Remus and Alexandra went shopping at the mall and this time, they were holding hands.  
  
"So what did you get for Christmas?" Alexandra asked as they walked past a bakery.  
  
"Um, well...." Remus started. "They are nothing special. So do you like my gift?"  
  
"Of course. You?"  
  
"The book is pretty useful. It will come in handy for my lessons." Remus said without thinking.  
  
"You teach about vampires?" Alexandra asked, raising her eyebrows.  
  
Remus felt like slapping himself. "No, I teach....err.... Literature." He lied and tried to concentrate on reading the title of a book on the display outside the bookshop.  
  
Alexandra let go of his hand and folded her arms. "Remus, are you hiding something from me?"  
  
"Huh? What?" Remus said, pretending not to hear her.  
  
"Maybe I am just overreacting." Alexandra thought and held his hand again.  
  
"Alexandra, hi!" A voice called and Alexandra turned around. "Hi Paris!" She nudged Remus and he turned his attention to Paris, who looked amazed.  
  
"Paris, this is my boyfriend Remus and Remus, this is Paris, my best friend." Alexandra introduced.  
  
"Oh hello." Remus greeted cheerfully.  
  
Paris smiled. "Whoa, you look better in person."  
  
Remus blushed. "Thank you."  
  
Paris turned to Alexandra: "Do you like my gift?"  
  
"Sure, I love them."  
  
"Hope that you enjoy reading them." Paris grinned. "Well, I won't bother you two lovebirds any longer, bye~~~~" She sang and left.  
  
"She reminds me of Madam Hooch." Remus said flatly.  
  
"Madam Hooch? How do you know Madam Hooch behaves like that?" Alexandra asked in bewilderment.  
  
Remus gulped. "I.....just know." He smiled. "So....what did Paris give you?" He asked as they walked into the bookshop.  
  
"Two Harry Potter books. One is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and the other is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." Alexandra said cheerfully.  
  
Remus stopped dead in his tracks. "What?" He whispered.  
  
"Harry Potter. I thought you like him." Alexandra said.  
  
"Yeah..." He smiled nervously and thought: "I'm doomed."  
  
"Remus, Remus? Earth to Remus J. Lupin!" Alexandra said, waving her hand in front of Remus.  
  
Remus blinked. "Huh? What?"  
  
"What's wrong with you today?" Alexandra asked in concern.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"You look awfully pale." Alexandra observed.  
  
"I'm all right." Remus said softly. "No....Alexandra, I wish to go home. Can you go on shopping without me?" He asked and rubbed his temples as if they hurt.  
  
"Oh sure. Go home and have a good rest." Alexandra said, smiling.  
  
"I'm sorry that I can't accompany you...." Remus said.  
  
"Your health is more important than shopping." Alexandra said firmly.  
  
Remus smiled weakly. "Bye."  
  
"Bye Remus." Alexandra said and gave him a goodbye kiss on the cheek.  
  
***  
  
Remus was lying on his bed with his eyes closed. He was totally confused and didn't know what to think. If Alexandra read "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban", she would find out about him. What is he going to do now? Tell her the whole truth before she read it? Or continue to keep his mouth shut? He groaned in frustration and buried his head in his pillow.  
  
***  
  
Alexandra smiled in satisfaction and closed "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets". The book was great. Now for the third book.  
  
She went to the kitchen for a box of cookies and back to her bed. She flopped down on her bed and opened her box. Then she flipped open "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." and read. She laughed as she read; J.K. Rowling's books were great. Wonder where did she get all those ideas from....  
  
"The stranger was wearing an extremely shabby set of wizard's robes which had been darned in several places. He looked ill and exhausted. Though he seemed quite young, his light-brown hair was flecked with grey. 'Who d'you reckon he is?' Ron hissed, as they sat down and slid the door shut, taking the seats furthest away from the window. 'Professor R. J. Lupin,' whispered Hermione at once.  
  
Alexandra stopped munching her cookie. "What the...." She started. If she remembers correctly, Remus' last name is Lupin. She thought for a while and shrugged, tried to shake off the uncomfortable feeling and continue to read. "Maybe this character has a different first name, like Robert or Robin....but the character seems to be describing Remus..."  
  
She read on.  
  
'Wonder what he teaches?' said Ron, frowning at Professor Lupin's pallid profile. 'That's obvious,' whispered Hermione. 'There's only one vacancy, isn't there? Defence Against the Dark Arts.'  
  
Alexandra put down her cookie. "Vampires seems to be under Defence Against the Dark Arts.." She said to herself slowly, remembering what Remus had said: "The book is pretty useful. It will come in handy for my lessons."  
  
As she read on, the book didn't mention about Professor Lupin's first name and just when she was beginning to relax a little, she read:  
  
'All right, then,' Black said, without taking his eyes off the rat. 'Tell them whatever you like. But make it quick, Remus. I want to commit the murder I was imprisoned for...'  
  
Alexandra froze. Remus? She quickly took the Christmas card from Remus and read the bottom:  
  
Remus J. Lupin  
  
Alexandra gasped and her hands shook. No, it can't be! She snatched the book, flipped back and read page 253.  
  
'You're wrong,' said Lupin. 'I haven't been Sirius' friend for twelve years, but I am now...let me explain....' 'NO!' Hermione screamed, 'Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead too - he's a werewolf!' 'Not at all up to your usual standard, Hermione,' he said. 'Only one out of three, I'm afraid. I have not been helping Sirius get into the castle and I certainly don't want Harry dead...' An odd shiver passed over his face. 'But I won't deny that I am a werewolf.'  
  
She then flipped back to the page where she stopped and read.  
  
'I was a very small boy when I received the bite. My parents tried everything, but in those days there was no cure.'  
  
She dropped the book. Is it a coincidence? No, this is too familiar, and eerie at the same time. Then she remembered the odd actions that Remus made during the cinema. And Remus' colleagues. She got out of the bed, pulled out her drawer and rummaged around. She took out the photo that they took at the beach.  
  
"Of course! Why didn't I notice it earlier?" She exclaimed. "They fit the descriptions of the teachers in Harry's world perfectly! Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, Hooch, Pomfrey and Sprouts!" She put down the photo and breathed heavily. Now what? If all this is true, then Hogwarts, Harry Potter, Platform 9 ¾ , Diagon Alley really exist, and Remus is a wizard and a..a...werewolf!  
  
But why didn't Remus tell her?  
  
Is it because he thinks that she won't believe him if he tells her?  
  
Or is it...  
  
Alexandra sat down on the floor, didn't know what to do next. 


	7. To Tell or Not to Tell the Truth, That's...

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Chapter 7: To Tell or Not To Tell, That's The Question  
  
"Hi Alexandra." Remus said when Alexandra opened her door the next morning.  
  
"Oh, err, hi." Alexandra said nervously.  
  
"I, err, just want to tell you that I am going back to my school tomorrow." Remus said, sensing that something was wrong.  
  
"Yeah...." Alexandra said slowly.  
  
"So I am here to say goodbye." Remus said and reached out to touch her but before Alexandra knew what she was doing, she backed away, not letting him to touch her.  
  
Remus raised his eyebrows and looked slightly hurt.  
  
"I, um, sorry. I'm not feeling well today.." Alexandra said softly and had her head low, not meeting Remus' eyes.  
  
Remus took a deep breath. "Oh, I'm sorry. I hope you get well soon."  
  
Alexandra nodded.  
  
"I, um, have to go now and pack my things....so, goodbye, see you during Easter holidays." Remus said and turned.  
  
"Remus? What's the name of your school?" Alexandra suddenly asked.  
  
Remus stopped dead in his tracks and turned around slowly. "Err, you don't want to know. It's pretty dumb and difficult to remember." He lied.  
  
Alexandra shook her head. "You are lying."  
  
"W-what?"  
  
Alexandra took a deep breath. "You. Are. Lying. Your school is Hogwarts, school of witchcraft and wizardry, right?"  
  
"I...I, err, I have no idea what are you talking about."  
  
"OH YES YOU DO!" Alexandra exploded. "Remus, tell me, where exactly do you live? What is your telephone number? What are your friends' names? Where did you get the music box? Why is your mail don't require address and stamp? What is the subject that you teach?"  
  
"I-I told you, I teach Literature!" Remus managed to answer weakly.  
  
"No, you don't, you teach Defence Against the Dark Arts!" Alexandra hissed.  
  
Remus turned ghastly pale. Alexandra grabbed his hand, dragged him into the house and slammed the door shut.  
  
"Why didn't you tell me?" Alexandra demanded.  
  
Before Remus could think of a good answer, she said, " I know why, you are a wizard and you are toying with my feelings for pleasure! Why will a great wizard like you would go out with a Muggle like me?!"  
  
Remus didn't respond.  
  
Alexandra sat down on her sofa, breathing heavily. "Get out, please." She whispered.  
  
Remus just walked out of the door and closed it. Alexandra reacted by throwing her butterfly-shape cushion towards the door. "DAMN YOU REMUS LUPIN!"  
  
***  
  
"Hey Remus! How are the things going on between you and your wife?" Sirius teased and grinned when Remus came into the staff room the next day.  
  
Remus just looked at him with lifeless eyes.  
  
"What's the matter? Remus, are you okay?" Sirius' grin faded and asked in concern.  
  
Remus sat down on his chair and rested his head on the table. "It's over between me and Alexandra." He said without lifting his head up.  
  
"Why?" Sirius demanded. Then he frowned a little. "She knows, right? She has found out about your true identity right?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"So she finds out all by herself?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Yeah. She got the book "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" for Christmas." Remus said dryly and then lifted his head.  
  
Sirius groaned. "How did she react?"  
  
"She's totally upset. She thought that I am playing with her feelings."  
  
"What did you say then?" Sirius asked eagerly.  
  
"Nothing."  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"I figured that I would make things worse if I opened my mouth. Besides, it is hopeless," Remus said sadly. "This relationship will never work out. It is much better this way if we just break up. She doesn't have to risk her life to be with me on a full moon."  
  
"But you drink the Wolfsbane Potion every month!" Sirius protested.  
  
"What if I didn't? What if I forget to drink it?" Remus challenged.  
  
"But...." Sirius started.  
  
"Just leave me alone." Remus snapped and leaned back on his chair with his eyes closed. As he did, Sirius could see a drop of tear coming out of the corner of his eye.  
  
***  
  
"Remus? Remus!" Madam Hooch called during breakfast a few days later.  
  
"Huh? What?" Remus glanced up from his bacon.  
  
"I said, pass the pepper." Madam Hooch said impatiently.  
  
"Oh, okay." Remus said and passed Madam Hooch the salt.  
  
Madam Hooch rolled her eyes and took out her wand. "Accio pepper." She said and the pepper flew to her hand.  
  
"Gee, Lupin, I think you should have your eyes test." Snape teased unmercifully but Remus didn't seem to hear him, he was chewing his bacon slowly.  
  
Sirius laughed inwardly at Snape that his joke had gone backfired.  
  
Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall looked at each other. "Err, Lupin? I think you should take a rest today." Dumbledore said gently.  
  
"What?" Remus looked at Dumbledore and picked up his toast. "There's no need, Professor, I am all right." Remus said and forced a smile. "Pass the butter."  
  
"It's right in front of you." Snape said flatly.  
  
"Oh, right." Remus said and took the box of butter.  
  
Sirius looked at Remus in concern. If Remus carried on like this, he may end up being sick. He needed to think of something to cheer him up...  
  
***  
  
When Remus was holding his lessons, Sirius sneaked into his office and rummaged around his drawer. He found what he wanted: a piece of parchment with Alexandra's address. He took out his wand, waved it and everything went back to its original position. He stuffed the parchment under his robes and went out of the office.  
  
***  
  
Sirius looked up from the parchment and smiled. "Boy, this place is hard to find." He muttered and rang the doorbell.  
  
Alexandra opened the door.  
  
"Hi." Sirius said cheerfully.  
  
Alexandra studied Sirius from head to toe. "Who are you? You looked...oddly familiar."  
  
"I'm Sirius Black."  
  
Alexandra's eyes widened. "I thought you are on the run."  
  
"That rat turned himself in, I'm free." Sirius said casually.  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
"Sure." Alexandra said and let Sirius in. "Have a seat."  
  
Sirius sat down. "You know my good friend Remus right?"  
  
Alexandra nodded.  
  
"Look, I'll come straight to the point. Remus is not what you think. If he is, he will be in Slytherin, not Gryffindor. You know what I mean, right?"  
  
Alexandra nodded again. "But...he should have told me in the first place!"  
  
Sirius couldn't help but snorted. "Yeah right." He said sarcastically. "If I tell you that I'm a werewolf, will you believe me?"  
  
Alexandra thought for a while. "No."  
  
"That's it! He is wasting his time telling you because you probably won't believe him." Sirius said. At least he thought that's why Remus won't tell her, but who cares? As long as he could get Remus and Alexandra back together.... "And do you know the other reason why?"  
  
Alexandra shook her head.  
  
"Because he loves you. He thinks that if he tells you, you will leave him, like Tom Riddle's parents. Err, you know who's Tom Riddle right?" Sirius asked. Yeah, that's more likely the reason why Remus was unwilling to tell Alexandra the truth....  
  
Alexandra nodded and had her head low.  
  
"Anyway, there's no denied that he is a werewolf. We wizards and witches, like you Muggles, are afraid of werewolves. Before he met James, that rat, and me, he was pretty lonely. And can you imagine how sad and lonely he was after he lost all of his best friends with the death of the Potters, my imprisonment and the fake death of that rat?"  
  
Alexandra shook her head and began to sob. "I regret my words right after Remus left my house. I wish we can get back together, but it is hopeless, he will never forgive me for accusing him...."  
  
"He will. I promise you." Sirius promised.  
  
***  
  
When Sirius got back to Hogwarts, it was evening, and he saw Remus lying like a dead man in his bedroom, with his eyes opened.  
  
"Remus? Remus!" Sirius called.  
  
"Oh, it's you, Sirius." Remus said flatly, barely lifting his head from his pillow to look at Sirius.  
  
Sirius clicked his tongue. "Oh for Merlin's sake! If you cared for Alexandra so much, go and find her!"  
  
"I don't care about that Muggle!" Remus protested.  
  
"Yes, you do! I saw you crying when you came back that day!" Sirius said loudly.  
  
Remus didn't respond.  
  
"Oh look, don't kill me, but I went to visit her today. She was pretty upset."  
  
Remus still didn't respond.  
  
"She said that she wished that you and her could get back together but you would probably never forgive her for accusing you...." Sirius stopped and tried to see Remus' reaction.  
  
Remus' face remained blank.  
  
Sirius threw up his hands. "OH I GIVE UP!" He said and stormed out of his bedroom.  
  
Remus sat up on his bed and looked at the door, wondering whether what Sirius had said was true.  
  
"Why not? Just give it a shot. You will regret it if you don't." The mirror on the wall said.  
  
Remus got out of his bed and went to his closet.  
  
***  
  
Alexandra stared out of her window and sighed at the heavy rain. "Looks like it is really over between me and Remus." She said sadly, looking at the empty wet street. "How could I say those nasty things? What's the matter with me?! Alexandra, you idiot!" She scolded herself. "Now he will never come back to you."  
  
She sighed again and went to her bathroom, thinking that maybe a bath would make her feel better.  
  
***  
  
½ hour later, she came of the bathroom with nothing but her bathrobe. She looked into the mirror and gasped at her reflection, who looked back at her with red eyes.  
  
"Of course, you have been crying for the whole afternoon." Alexandra said and tried to smile. She went to the window and gazed out at the rain again. Obviously, the bath had not done any improvement to her mood. And the weather suited it perfectly.  
  
Alexandra looked at the dark street, with its streetlamps shone softly in the rain, and a man with wet light brown and grey hair, walking towards her house....  
  
Wait a minute.  
  
Alexandra's eyes widened and she rushed downstairs when she heard the doorbell rang. She flung it open and saw Remus Lupin standing there; looking as if he had just came out of the swimming pool.  
  
"R-Remus..." Alexandra started.  
  
"Alexandra." Remus interrupted. "I'm so sorry....."  
  
"Come in." Alexandra said in panic. "You will catch a cold!"  
  
Remus came in and after Alexandra closed the door, he pulled her into his arms. "Alexandra, I am so sorry! I should have told you the truth ever since I met you...." He released her. "But I can't. I love you too much...."  
  
Alexandra sniffed. "I am the one who should be saying sorry! I shouldn't accuse you..."  
  
Remus acted as if he didn't hear her. He hug her again and refused to let go.  
  
"Remus, I don't care if you are a werewolf or a vampire. I love you and I always will." Alexandra whispered.  
  
Remus gazed into her eyes lovingly and they kissed. As Remus kissed her neck, he waved his hand behind him and the curtains drew shut. Alexandra gazed at Remus and she didn't stop him when he untied the knot of her bathrobe's belt. 


	8. A Dangerous Rival

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Thank you for your reviews!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Doomsday Gap- Shut up if you don't know what you are talking about.  
  
Note: I am so sorry that I have not updated for a long time! I have a writer's block for this story. I managed to think up of this chapter, hope that you like it...  
  
Chapter 8: A dangerous rival  
  
"REMUS! Remus Lupin!" Someone yelled outside Alexandra's house the next morning. Remus groaned without opening his eyes.  
  
Alexandra got up from her sofa, walked to the window, pushed her curtains slightly and looked out. "It's Sirius, Remus."  
  
"Tell him to go and bug someone else." Remus said sleepily from the sofa.  
  
Alexandra picked up her bathrobe from the floor and put it on to cover her naked body. She removed the curtains and opened the window.  
  
Sirius, in a Muggle black jacket, shirt and jeans, brightened up with he saw her. "Hi there! Hey, can you get Remus for me? It's 8 o'clock and I really need to bring him to school or else he will be late."  
  
"Sure." Alexandra went to the sofa and slapped Remus' face gently. "Remus, Remus, wake up. It's time for school."  
  
"Um? What time is it?" Remus asked.  
  
"8 o'clock."  
  
"8 O'CLOCK?!" Remus sat up on the sofa quickly. "Oh no! My lessons start at 9 o'clock!" He got up from the sofa, grabbed his shirt and pants and put them on quickly.  
  
***  
  
"Hurry up!" Sirius yelled and Remus rushed out of the house with Alexandra behind him. Sirius started his black and shiny motorcycle and watched in amusement as Remus kissed Alexandra goodbye. Sirius tossed Remus the helmet; he put it on, got on behind Sirius and both of them waved to Alexandra. With a roar, Sirius rode off as fast as his motorcycle could go.  
  
As soon as Sirius noticed that no Muggle was around, he switched on his motorcycle's Invisibility Booster and rode his motorcycle to the air. "So, what is it like?" He called to Remus as air rushed through his black hair. (He didn't bother to put on a helmet)  
  
"What?" Remus asked innocently.  
  
"Oh come on, Moony!" Sirius turned his head quickly to look at Remus and grinned. "I know what you did last night."  
  
Remus blushed furiously. "I don't want to tell you."  
  
"Aw, is this what I get in return? After all that I have done for you?" Sirius asked, still looking in front.  
  
Remus didn't respond as Sirius laughed.  
  
***  
  
"Alexandra? Alexandra? Earth to Alexandra Skipper!" Paris said, waving her hand in front of Alexandra's face after their second lecture that afternoon.  
  
"Huh? What?" Alexandra snapped out of her daydream and looked at Paris.  
  
"What is the matter with you? Yesterday you were walking around the school like a zombie and now you looked as if you are getting married or something.." Paris realized what she had just said and exclaimed: "Don't tell me that you are..."  
  
"No I'm not." Alexandra said calmly. "But I did something wonderful with Remus last night." She added dreamily.  
  
"Who's Remus?" A voice asked and Alexandra and Paris turned around.  
  
"Hi Tim." Alexandra said politely. Paris just nodded curtly.  
  
"So who is this Remus? Your brother?" Tim asked, ignoring Paris' attitude.  
  
"No, he is my boyfriend." Alexandra said happily.  
  
Tim froze. He put his hands on Alexandra's desk and asked frantically. Boyfriend? As in lover?"  
  
"Yes, you idiot." Paris said, rolling her eyes.  
  
"Nobody ask you." Tim snapped.  
  
"Tim, if there is nothing else, will you please get out of my sight?" Alexandra said irritably.  
  
Tim's mouth dropped open and then he closed it. "Fine." He said and went back to his seat.  
  
"Poor boy, you are in love and the boyfriend is not him." Paris said but she sounded like she didn't mean it.  
  
Tim scowled towards the girls' direction. "You are mine, Alexandra. Nobody is to take you away from me. Nobody." He thought angrily.  
  
***  
  
"Remus, for last time, will you please pass the salt?" Snape asked irritably during lunch.  
  
"Oh right! Here you go." Remus said cheerfully and passed Snape the salt.  
  
Snape blinked and took the bottle that Remus gave him. Dumbledore just smiled. "Remus, why didn't you ask Sirius to take over your lessons this morning so that you can rest for the whole day?"  
  
Remus nearly choked on his salmon. "Rest?"  
  
"You know exactly what I am talking about." Dumbledore said mischievously. Professor McGonagall gasped when she figured out what Dumbledore was talking about. "Albus, don't talk about this in front of the students, please!"  
  
"It's alright, the students can't hear me." Dumbledore grinned.  
  
Sirius raised one of his eyebrows. "This man never misses a trick." He thought to himself.  
  
Madam Hooch whistled softly and grinned.  
  
Professor Trelawney had a look on her face that says: I knew that he was going to say that.  
  
Hagrid's eyes widened.  
  
Snape still didn't have the faintest idea of what's going on.  
  
"I-I think teaching is far more important, Headmaster." Remus stammered, with his face as red as a tomato.  
  
"I agree." Dumbledore said.  
  
Silence.  
  
After swallowing his food, Dumbledore suddenly asked: "How is it like?"  
  
Remus nearly spat out his pumpkin juice. "Err..."  
  
Sirius and Madam Hooch are now hooting with laughter.  
  
Snape looked even more mystified.  
  
"Albus, stop teasing Remus and let him eat the rest of his lunch in peace." Professor McGonagall said, smiling.  
  
"All right, honey."  
  
"Not here!" Professor McGonagall hissed embarrassedly, with her cheeks as red as the evening sun.  
  
This time, Remus laughed along with Madam Hooch and Sirius while Snape just looked amused.  
  
"I think the Headmaster has left his brain in his bedroom this morning." Poppy whispered to Professor Sprout.  
  
***  
  
After her last lecture, Alexandra yawned and began to pack her things. After what she and Remus had done last night, she really needs to have some sleep when she gets back home.  
  
"Hey Alex, want to go shopping with me?" Paris asked.  
  
Alexandra smiled and shook her head.  
  
"All right, it is your loss, see you tomorrow!" Paris said cheerfully and left.  
  
The classroom was empty by the time Alexandra had finished packing her bag. She got up, swung her bag over her shoulder and strolled towards the exit. She barely left the exit halfway when someone grabbed her from behind and pushed her roughly to the wall.  
  
"Tim?! What are you...." Alexandra started but stopped when Tim glared at her in a menacing way.  
  
"What is so good about this Remus that make you to love him so much?" Time asked darkly.  
  
Alexandra swallowed nervously. "Calm down, Alexandra, just tell him why." She thought.  
  
She took a deep breath and said as calmly as she could: "Well, he is gentle and handsome and....."  
  
Tim snorted. "Gentle? He is a gentleman? What year is it now anyway, 1910? Listen, men like Remus might have already extinct. He might not what we think he is."  
  
Alexandra forgot all about her fright and narrowed her eyes. "Don't you dare to talk about him like that. But then again, you are right, he is not what YOU think, you jerk."  
  
Tim growled and put his hands on Alexandra's shoulders.  
  
"Hey, get your hands off me!" Alexandra ordered and tried to remove his hands as he was griping her shoulders so tightly that they hurt.  
  
Tim didn't let go and Alexandra couldn't remove his hands. He is stronger and bigger than she is. Tim looked into her eyes and said slowly: "You belong to me, you hear me? Nobody is to take you away from me."  
  
Alexandra gave a short laugh. "No, I don't belong to you at all. I give a part of myself to Remus last night. And my heart belongs to him. Even if you managed to claim my body, you will never, I repeat, never, be able to claim my heart."  
  
Tim scowled and let go of Alexandra. Alexandra rubbed her shoulders as Tim snarled: "Mark my words, Alexandra Skipper, one day, I will claim your body AND your heart. I will make sure that your precious Remus can't stop me. You just wait and see."  
  
Tim gave a smirk at Alexandra's pale face and left, leaving her standing there in a state of shock. 


	9. A Dangerous Kind of Love

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Thank you for your reviews!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Chapter 9: A Dangerous Kind of Love  
  
On the first day of the summer holidays, Sirius came home and found that Remus' house was totally dark and quiet. "Remus? Remus, are you home?" He called.  
  
No response.  
  
Sirius lighted all the candles in the house by a simple spell and looked around the house. He went to the kitchen and found a neat stack of papers struck on their message board on their Muggle refrigerator:  
  
Padfoot,  
  
Went to Alexandra's for the holidays.  
  
See you after the holidays.  
  
Moony  
  
Sirius frowned. "Not again!" But then he grinned. "But now I can have the whole house to myself!" He tore off the piece pf paper and read the second note underneath:  
  
Don't you dare to mess up the house while I am away.  
  
Moony  
  
"Yeah right, as if I will listen to you." Sirius snorted and tore off the second paper. He read the third note:  
  
If you don't listen to me, I will hex you.  
  
Moony  
  
"Oh yeah, like what?" Sirius said, tore off the third paper and read the fourth:  
  
Like giving you a nice, blue skin and long donkey ears.  
  
Moony  
  
"Oh yeah? Well, I will change myself into a dog in the mean time." Sirius said, tearing off the fourth:  
  
And I will make sure that you can't change yourself into a dog after I have hexed you.  
  
Moony  
  
Sirius raised his eyebrow "You can't be serious." He mumbled and tore off the fifth:  
  
I am serious. You make a mess of the house and I will hex you.  
  
Moony  
  
"Fine." Sirius said in defeat. "But don't you get tired after signing your name for so many times?" He muttered and tore off the sixth:  
  
No.  
  
Moony  
  
***  
  
"Alexandra! Alexandra, over here!" A voice called and Alexandra turned around. She was standing on a small green hill with yellow flowers dotting it. The wind was blowing her hair gently and she was wearing a simple white dress.  
  
"Remus!" Alexandra cried happily.  
  
"Over here! Come here!" Remus called. He was wearing a white shirt and black pants and he was smiling.  
  
"All right!" Alexandra said and when she was about to reach him, Remus looked behind himself and his eyes widened with fear.  
  
He looked at her in panic and cried sharply: "No, Alexandra! Don't come any nearer, I beg you!"  
  
Alexandra stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
BANG  
  
Alexandra gasped in horror and watched as Remus fell into her arms. He stared at her lovingly and painfully, coughed a mouthful of blood on her dress and was dead instantly. She examined his back and found a bullet had gone through his body. She felt that someone was watching, looked up slowly and found Tim, with a gun in his hand. He stared at her coldly and raised his gun, aiming her chest.  
  
BANG  
  
****  
  
"Aaahhhh!!!!" Alexandra screamed and sat up on her bed.  
  
Remus' eyes snapped open to her scream and he too, sat up quickly on the bed. "Alexandra, Alexandra! Are you all right?" He asked in concern.  
  
Alexandra turned her head sharply at his voice, her eyes widened, as if she had just noticed Remus' existence, then she hugged him as tightly as she could. "You are alive, oh thank goodness, you are alive...." She wept.  
  
"I'm alive? Wait a minute, what are you talking about?" Remus asked in confusion.  
  
For a while, Alexandra didn't respond. She held him tightly, pressed her ear against his firm, smooth chest and listened silently to his steady heartbeat.  
  
"Alex? Alex, tell me what's wrong?" Remus asked softly as he stroked her dark hair.  
  
"I had a dream." Alexandra said slowly without lifting her head. "About you. You are killed by my classmate, then he is going to kill me, and that's when I woke up."  
  
"Your classmate? Who? Paris?" Remus asked.  
  
"No, a boy. He is a Slytherin-type of person and h-he likes me. A lot." Alexandra said and she told Remus everything about Tim and his threat.  
  
Remus smiled a little when she had finished. "Alexandra darling, I think you have forgotten who I really am."  
  
Alexandra released Remus and looked up.  
  
Remus lowered his head and whispered into Alexandra's ear: "I'm a wizard. I will hex him, if he tries to do anything to me."  
  
"But then he will give your identity away." Alexandra said worriedly.  
  
"Don't you remember? There are obliviators in my world. And their job is to erase Muggles' memories." Remus straightened himself and grinned. "So don't worry, I am going to be all right."  
  
Alexandra sighed. "I hope so."  
  
Without a word, Remus put his arms around Alexandra's body and kissed her forehead. They both lay down and Remus watched tenderly as Alexandra went back to sleep in his arms.  
  
***  
  
The next day, Remus and Alexandra went shopping again at the mall. (Since they didn't get to shop much last time because Remus wanted to leave and after that, Alexandra didn't have the mood to shop)  
  
"You looked pretty in pink." Alexandra said after she put a pink, wide- brimmed hat playfully on Remus' head.  
  
"Oh? Do I?" Remus said in a high-pitch tone of voice that made him to sound very much like a lady. He twirled around and made a pose. "Yes, darling, I think I do." He said, battling his eyelashes. "Now, young lady, what are you laughing at?" He demanded in fake anger when he saw Alexandra laughing as hard as she could. "I don't know why you are laughing, I'm most beautiful man in the world and there's no deny about that." He said in his normal voice, admiring himself in mirror and patted his hair lovingly. Alexandra laughed harder and the salesgirl began to laugh as well. "Sheesh, I am beginning to sound like Gilderoy Lockhart." Remus said, took off the pink hat and gave it to the salesgirl, who giggled and put the hat back to its place.  
  
"By the way, what happened to Lockhart anyway?" Alexandra asked after she stopped laughing.  
  
"When I asked Snape, he said: that idiot has gone to Sahara Desert to find his tiny brain." Remus said, smiling.  
  
Alexandra looked as if she was going to laugh again. She controlled herself, coughed and said: "Let's go."  
  
***  
  
"Maybe I should buy this lighter for Sirius." Remus said, examining a sliver lighter in a gift shop.  
  
"Why?" Alexandra asked, looking at a vase.  
  
"Sometimes he comes home late, without even bothers himself to light up the house and just goes to any of the rooms in the house."  
  
"So?" Alexandra asked slowly.  
  
"So he came to my room and flopped on my bed without even looked if there's anyone sleeping in it, twice." Remus said embarrassedly.  
  
Alexandra raised her eyebrows. "Oh my god, what did you do then?"  
  
"I woke up immediately and kicked him off the bed." Remus grinned.  
  
"Oh my god!" Alexandra said and laughed again. But then out of the corner of her eye, she saw someone came into the shop and killed her laughter immediately.  
  
Tim.  
  
"Err, Remus? Have you made up your mind?" Alexandra asked frantically.  
  
"Hm? Yeah." Remus said, tossed the lighter in the air and caught it easily.  
  
"Then I will wait for you outside." Alexandra said quickly, turned around and bumped into Tim, who was standing behind her.  
  
"Hi Alex." Tim said.  
  
"H-hi." Alexandra managed to say.  
  
Remus looked at Alexandra, then at Tim. "Something is wrong around here." He thought.  
  
"Are you going to introduce me to your friend?" Tim asked in a cold tone.  
  
Remus narrowed his eyes at his tone.  
  
Alexandra swallowed and said: "Remus, this is my classmate, Tim, and Tim, this is my boyfriend, Remus Lupin."  
  
"Pleased to meet you." Tim said but he didn't sound that he meant it and stretched out his hand. He lifted his head slightly to meet Remus' eyes. (Because Remus is taller than he is)  
  
Remus smiled and took Tim's hand. "Pleased to meet you too." He smiled and continued to when he found that Tim was tightening his grip on his hand. "Try to crash my hand? Two can play this game." He thought and stared at Tim's hand. He muttered a few words and Tim's hand became as brittle as soft drink can. Remus tightened his hand quickly for the spell lasted for only a few seconds and he grinned inwardly when he saw Tim's face filled with agony. Tim jerked his hand out of Remus' grip and rubbed his hand painfully. Remus smiled again, which made Tim's blood boiled.  
  
"Well, I have something else on. I have to go." Tim said quickly. "See you at school, Alex." He said and left.  
  
***  
  
"That kid is a slimeball, if you ask me." Remus said in disgust while lying on the sofa and his head on Alexandra's lap, watching the 10 o'clock news on the television at night.  
  
"And a Slytherin. Don't you know what will a Slytherin do to get what he wants? You could be killed." Alexandra said worriedly.  
  
"I am not worried about myself." Remus said after he shifted a little to look at Alexandra. "I can hex him and if he hurts me, in the wizarding world, there's nothing we can't heal unless one, you are dead. Two, you are under an evil curse that is so bad that we can't heal you. Three, one part of your body is completely disconnected from your body. Take Malfoy for example, he was heavily injured by a Hippogriff during his third year and Madam Pomfrey healed him in just a few seconds." He lifted his hands and counted his fingers as he talked. When he finished, he dropped his hands as if they were very heavy.  
  
"But...." Alexandra started.  
  
"What I do worried about," Remus interrupted. "Is you."  
  
Alexandra didn't say anything. Remus sat up, put his arm around her and whispered: "You have no magical powers, you don't have a wand, how can I have a heart to teach when I am too busily worrying about you after the holidays? Tim will stop at nothing to get you. What if he has this crazy idea of killing you, then himself so that you two can be together in death?"  
  
"Is that mean both of our lives are in danger?" Alexandra whispered.  
  
Remus nodded. "I afraid so."  
  
Note: For those who are waiting for Remus' proposal to Alexandra, stay tuned for the next chapter. It will be updated soon in a few days. I promise. 


	10. A Talk with Professor Dumbledore and the...

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Thank you for your reviews!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Hey, this is not the last chapter so stay tuned. The chapter towards the end of the whole story would be dark, and you are going to hate me for it but that's how the story goes. But Remus will be happy in the end, you will see why.  
  
Chapter 10: A talk with Professor Dumbledore and the Proposal  
  
The next morning, Remus woke up and saw an owl, tapping Alexandra's bedroom window impatiently. He carefully got out of the bed without waking Alexandra up and went to the window.  
  
"Thanks." He whispered to the owl and looked at envelope that it had in its claws.  
  
Professor Remus Lupin  
  
Well, this was certainly not a letter from Harry or Sirius. He turned the letter around and saw the Hogwarts seal. He raised his eyebrows and opened it.  
  
Dear Professor Lupin,  
  
You are required to attend a staff meeting this late morning at Hogwarts, 11am. Please be punctual.  
  
Your sincerely,  
  
Professor M. McGonagall  
  
"Oh no." Remus thought. He looked at the butterfly-shape clock on the wall. 10.30am. He folded the letter half, and then a quarter, and then he continued to fold it until he couldn't fold it anymore. "Just when I thought I could protect Alexandra throughout the whole summer..." He muttered to himself. He sighed, went to Alexandra' side of the bed, kneeled down and whispered: "Alex? Alex, wake up."  
  
"Hm?" Alexandra opened her eyes. "What?"  
  
"Listen, I have to go back to Hogwarts for a staff meeting. I need to apparate to Hogsmeade train station right now so that I can make it in time for it. Will you be safe by yourself here?" He asked in concern.  
  
Alexandra nodded. "Don't worry. He won't come here."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"He doesn't know my address."  
  
***  
  
"Remus, why are you wearing Muggle clothes?" Snape said in disgust in Dumbledore's office, looking at Remus in his dark blue shirt, black jeans and black boots. All the teachers were here and all were wearing robes except for Hagrid and Remus. Sirius was not around since Remus would tell him everything when he got back the day before the holidays ended.  
  
"None of your business." Remus snapped, who was too busily thinking about Alexandra. Sure, Tim didn't know her address but he would find out sooner or later. "He is an lunatic." He muttered.  
  
"What?" Snape growled.  
  
"I'm not talking about you." Remus said.  
  
As Dumbledore giving the teachers' timetables, Remus' thoughts drifted back to Alexandra again. What was he going to do about her so that she could be perfectly protected?  
  
"Hello! Earth to Remus Lupin, have you forgotten who she is?" A voice in his mind scolded. "She's your girlfriend, for Merlin's sake! Marry her and she can be with you forever!"  
  
Marry her?  
  
He had never thought of getting married before!  
  
Was he ready to settle down?  
  
***  
  
"All right, dismiss." Dumbledore said cheerfully when he finished in the late afternoon and the teachers stood up, but stayed around to discuss their timetables.  
  
"If there are 12 or more students in Gryffindor this year, I am going to be sick." Snape mumbled.  
  
"Great, most o' the third years are taking my lessons." Hagrid said happily.  
  
"Must be blind." Snape said unmercifully.  
  
"Ah, shut up, Snape." Hagrid snapped.  
  
Madam Hooch looked at her timetable and counted. "48 new students? That means more students for the 1st year's flying lesson! Great! The more the merrier!" She said happily.  
  
"Excuse me, Professor Dumbledore but can we talk?" Remus asked when the teachers left.  
  
Professor Dumbledore gave a glance at Professor McGonagall, who was rolling up her parchment. Professor McGonagall gathered the rest of her things, walked to Dumbledore and said shortly: "I will be in my office." She kissed Dumbledore's cheek lightly, stopped beside Remus long enough to say: "See you on 1st September." She smiled at him and left the office.  
  
"Sit down, Remus." Dumbledore said kindly, sitting down on his chair behind his desk.  
  
Remus sat down on the chair across Dumbledore and didn't say anything.  
  
"Is there something you wish to tell me?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"Hm, yeah." Remus said. "I mean, yes." He said quickly, changing his tone.  
  
"You can stick to the word "Yeah" if you want to." Dumbledore said with a smile.  
  
"Thank you, sir." Remus said. "It's like this.....err...I don't know where to start...."  
  
"Is there something wrong between you and Miss Skipper?" Dumbledore asked in concern.  
  
Remus shook his head quickly. "No, we are going along just fine..err, Professor, what do you think of me?"  
  
Dumbledore leaned back on his chair. "Well, you are a capable wizard, perceptive, even-tempered, thoughtful, introspective, and you concern about others' safety rather than yourself." He smiled.  
  
"Am I that good?" Remus asked uncertainly.  
  
"What's more, I often hear students saying that you are kind and humorous. You are the most popular teacher in Hogwarts, completely the opposite of Severus."  
  
Remus couldn't help but blushed a little. "Professor.....do you think I should ask, um, Alexandra to marry me?"  
  
Dumbledore leaned forward, put his hands together and thought deeply. "No." he said finally.  
  
Remus raised his eyebrows.  
  
Dumbledore grinned. "Just kidding. Anyway, the question is, do you think you should?"  
  
Remus went silent for a while before he started talking: "Do you think marriage can work between a Muggle and a wizard?"  
  
"Is that's why you are hesitating?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"I guess." Remus mumbled.  
  
"Did Mr. Finnigan ever tell you that his father is a Muggle and mother is a witch?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Remus shook his head. "No, he didn't tell me."  
  
"And he had a nasty shock when he found out. But they are still together, happily, I might add." Dumbledore said.  
  
"But Voldemort's parents...." Remus started.  
  
"Voldemort's parents are a different case." Dumbledore interrupted. "True love has no boundaries. When a marriage works, it's wonderful. But both partners have to be clear about what they expect to get out of the marriage, and what they are willing to put into it. Yes, marriage is romantic. But it takes hard work to keep it that way. Because the real romance is in spending your life with someone you respect and trust." Dumbledore leaned forward and looked into Remus' eyes. "Do you think you are ready to have that kind of life?"  
  
Remus didn't respond.  
  
"I can't exactly tell you if you should. It's your choice. If you think you are responsible enough, which I think you are, and love, respect and trust her, which I assume you do, go ahead and propose."  
  
Remus smiled. "I think I will." He said and stood up. "Thank you for answering my question."  
  
"I didn't answer your question. Like I said, it's your choice." Dumbledore said.  
  
***  
  
Alexandra was writing something at her desk in her room when the doorbell rang. She stopped writing and listened. The doorbell rang again. "Remus? Is that you at the door?"  
  
The doorbell continued to ring.  
  
Alexandra put down her pen with a puzzled frown on her face. "Can't you just apparate?" She mumbled and went downstairs. She went to the door, opened the door and saw no one. Instead, she saw a letter on the floor mat that says: "To Miss Alexandra Skipper." She picked it up and turned it over. No return address. She closed the door, opened the envelope and took out the paper.  
  
The first thing she saw was a picture of white, bloody figure with a face without its skin, big, cold blank eyes, long black straight hair in the mid air of an ordinary living room, staring at her.  
  
Alexandra gave a bloodcurdling scream and dropped in a dead faint.  
  
***  
  
"Alex! I'm....." Remus said cheerfully when he apparated back to Alexandra's living room later. "Oh Merlin!" He cried when he saw Alexandra lying on the floor. Remus rushed to her, kneeled down and carried her head to his lap. "Alex? Alex, wake up! Don't scare me, Alex!" He said in panic.  
  
"Hm?" Alexandra said weakly and opened her eyes slowly. She looked at Remus, sat up quickly and said: "Remus, it was horrible! It ...."  
  
"Calm down, Alex, please!" Remus said.  
  
Alexandra shut up and breathed heavily.  
  
"Now let's sit on the sofa." He said and picked the picture, which its face down and was lying nearby.  
  
Alexandra's eyes widened and screamed: "Get that thing away from me!" She said hysterically, drew her knees to her chest and covered her face.  
  
"Huh?" Remus said and turned the picture over. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped open.  
  
"Looks like the female version of the Bloody Baron." He managed to say and took the envelope to see if there were any more things inside. Sure enough, there was a piece of note.  
  
He took out the note and read.  
  
Scared you, didn't I? I got your address from the professor at the university, you can't get away from me, and you are mine forever after 18th of June, our graduation day.  
  
Tim, your future husband  
  
Remus scowled and crashed the letter into a tight ball. He aimed and threw the ball into the dustbin and put his hand on Alexandra's shoulder. Alexandra didn't move away from him. Remus took her into his arms and rocked her gently. "It's okay, Alex, I am here."  
  
"He's crazy." Alexandra said without removing her hands.  
  
"We have to get away from this place." Remus whispered. "Alex, why don't you go back to the wizarding world with me?"  
  
Alexandra removed her hands. "You mean...."  
  
Remus took her hand and kissed it. "Go back with me and be my wife. And we can live in peace forever."  
  
"Are you serious?" Alexandra whispered.  
  
"Of course I am. I'm truly, madly, deeply in love with you, how can I not be serious about this?" Remus asked.  
  
Alexandra blinked her eyes, which were now filled with tears. "I don't know what to say....."  
  
"Say yes then." Remus whispered.  
  
Alexandra smiled. "Yes."  
  
Remus grinned mischievously. "Hey, isn't that mean my kids are going to be half-bloods?"  
  
"Now you are going way too far in the future!" Alexandra said, punched him playfully.  
  
Stay tuned for the next chapter for Alexandra's tour in Diagon Alley! (Thank you, Dadaiiro for the idea!) 


	11. Diagon Alley

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Thank you for your reviews! And thank you, Isis Malfoy, for the Beta- Reading!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Dadaiiro: I believe you. When I wrote about the ghost, I was alone at home and writing that part gives me chills.  
  
Laura: I didn't see your review on the review page, but I see it in my e- mail inbox, did you remove it?  
  
Chapter 11: Diagon Alley  
  
"Alex, is today Thursday?" Remus asked the next evening, looking down at his lunar calendar. Alexandra was in the kitchen, washing the dishes.  
  
"No, today is Friday." Came the reply.  
  
"Oh no." Remus said, smacking his forehead with his calendar.  
  
"What? What is it?" Alexandra asked, coming out of the kitchen.  
  
"Tonight is a full moon." Remus whispered with his voice shook. He looked at Alexandra with his eyes filled with fear. "You better stay away from me tonight."  
  
"Where's your Wolfsbane Potion?" Alexandra asked in concern.  
  
"In my bag, I will get it." Remus said quickly, ran to Alexandra's room where he had left his backpack and rummaged through it for his potion.  
  
"No, no, no...." Remus muttered as he took out his books and clothes. "Ah! Here it is!" He said and took out a bottle of Wolfsbane Potion. He opened it and curled his lip in disgust. "I hate the taste of it." He sniffed it. "I hate the smell of it too."  
  
"Drink it, Remus, it is for your own good." Alexandra said firmly, leaning against the door.  
  
Remus sighed. "Here goes nothing." He said and drank the potion in one go. "Yuck." He said and tried not to throw up.  
  
"Need anything?" Alexandra asked frantically.  
  
Remus put his hand to his mouth and waved his other hand, meaning that he didn't need anything. He paused for a while and looked at Alexandra. He removed his hand and managed to say: "Where's the guest room? I am going to stay there for the night."  
  
Alexandra pointed at another room down the corridor.  
  
***  
  
At 10.30pm, Alexandra was about to go into to her bedroom when she stopped. She turned and stared at Remus' room. At 8pm, she heard Remus' cries from his room, she wanted to help him but she knew that Remus would not like it if she went anywhere near him in his werewolf form, whether he had drank the potion or not. But still.... She began to walk towards his room. Maybe she would have just a look to see if he was all right. She stopped outside Remus' room and grasped the doorknob. She turned it and opened the door slowly and quietly. She poked her head in and saw Remus in werewolf form, sleeping on the cold floor. Alexandra raised her eyebrows at what she had seen. Remus didn't look as hideous as books and media described, he looked more like an innocent wolf with a torn shirt and jeans on. Before Alexandra could stop herself, she went to Remus and shook him to wake him up.  
  
Remus opened his eyes and his eyes widened at the sight of his fiancée. As he couldn't talk, he growled, which means: "I thought I told you not to come near me."  
  
As if Alexandra could understand his growl, she said: "I just come to see if you are okay. But seems like you are not. Remus, if you want to sleep, sleep on the bed."  
  
Remus got up from the floor and sat down on the bed.  
  
"Good, then I must go back to bed now." Alexandra said and noticed that Remus was looking at her longingly. "Remus, is it just me or....."  
  
Remus whined and continued to look at her.  
  
Alexandra edged towards Remus slowly. Then she hesitated for a while and reached out to touch him. She patted his head and if she wasn't mistaken, she thought that her fiancé was smiling. She sat down a few inches away from him and Remus responded by putting his arm around her and pulled her close.  
  
He licked her face and Alexandra giggled. "Who is the one who says that I mustn't go near him?" She asked.  
  
Remus raised his hairy hand (or is it paw?) and Alexandra laughed. "Remus, I just realized something. If I want to marry you, I need to get used to your werewolf form." Remus responded by giving her another lick. "Stop it, that tickles."  
  
Remus grinned and began to lick her face, then her neck. Alexandra laughed as hard as she could, then she fell back on the bed. Remus pounced on her and continued to lick her.  
  
"S-stop it, Remus, I.... beg... you....." Alexandra said breathlessly and Remus stopped. He lay down beside her and stared at her lovingly. "You know, you looked cute, for a werewolf." Remus didn't respond. He put his head on the pillow and yawned, showing his sharp teeth again. "Ooooo, Grandpa, what big teeth you have." Alexandra said playfully. Remus struck out his tongue, as if he was going to lick her again. "All right, all right, I'm sorry, pretend that I didn't say that...."  
  
***  
  
The next morning, when Alexandra woke up, she saw Remus in his human form, lying beside her, smiling. "Morning."  
  
"Good morning." Remus said and kissed her forehead. "Did you sleep well?"  
  
"Yeah. You?"  
  
"Fine."  
  
"What time is it?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"9am. Alex, why don't we buy our engagement rings today?" Remus asked seriously.  
  
Alexandra nodded. "The sooner, the better. I want to let that slimeball to see it. Hope that he will back off.... but where will we go?"  
  
"You'll see." Remus said mysteriously.  
  
***  
  
After breakfast, Remus and Alexandra went to London and they stopped outside the bookshop and the record shop. As the new school term was starting, the street was crowded with children and parents.  
  
"Okay, Alex, close your eyes." Remus said.  
  
Alexandra gave a frown.  
  
"Oh come on, it is a surprise." Remus urged.  
  
Alexandra rolled her eyes and closed her eyes. Remus waved his hand in front of her and then he opened the door of Leaky Cauldron.  
  
Hagrid was drinking a glass of mulled mead when he saw Remus. "Hi...."  
  
Remus silenced him by putting his finger on his lips. Hagrid looked bewildered. Remus leaned forward and whispered as softly as he could. "I am giving my fiancée a surprise. I want to show her Diagon Alley."  
  
"Yeh are getting married to Alexandra?" Hagrid asked, delighted. He remembered Remus' pretty girlfriend from the beach very well.  
  
Remus grinned and nodded. "See you later." He whispered and continued to lead Alexandra to the courtyard.  
  
"Can I open them now?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"No." Remus said, taking out his wand that he had brought along and tapped the bricks three times. The bricks moved and soon Diagon Alley appeared. "Okay, you can open them now."  
  
Alexandra opened them and gasped in amazement.  
  
"Welcome, Alexandra, to Diagon Alley."  
  
"Is it real?" Alexandra managed to ask.  
  
"Of course it is real!" Remus said, laughing as he took Alexandra's hand and led her into the crowded street that both of them knew so well.  
  
"There's Madam Malkin's Robes For All Occasion! And there's Ollivanders! And on my God, there's the Quality Quidditch Supplies!" Alexandra said excitedly.  
  
Remus grinned and grasped her hand tighter, so that she wouldn't wander off in excitement. "Alex, look, there's Flourish and Blotts! And there's Harry!" He pointed and Alexandra turned her head away from the Quality Quidditch Supplies to look at the real Harry Potter, who was standing in the shop. She gasped at the real Harry, who looked exactly like the older version of Daniel Radcliffe. But he was taller than Daniel; his eyes were as green as emeralds and he didn't have his glasses on. He was examining "Standard Book of Spells Grade 7" and muttering something like: "My last year, wonder what I am going to do after this year..."  
  
"Hi Harry!" Remus said cheerfully and stepped into the shop.  
  
Harry looked up and grinned. "Hi Professor!" He turned his head and called: "Hermione! Ron! Guess who is here!"  
  
Hermione and Ron came out from the inner part of the shop and greeted Remus.  
  
"Harry, Hermione, Ron, this is my fiancée, Alexandra." Remus said, smiling as he put his arm around Alexandra's shoulders.  
  
Hermione and Ron's mouth dropped open. "You are getting married?!" Both of them exclaimed in unison.  
  
Harry didn't look surprise. "I heard about Miss Alexandra. Congratulations." He then grinned. "You are prettier than I thought."  
  
Alexandra blushed. "And you look exactly like Daniel Radcliffe."  
  
Harry raised his eyebrow. "Really? I'm not sure what Daniel Radcliffe looks like, every time when the movie's trailer is on the television, Uncle Vernon switches it off."  
  
Hermione looked at Harry carefully. "I have seen the movie, now that you have mentioned it, Harry do look like Daniel."  
  
"Aw, the girls in the Gryffindor house will be very disappointed when they heard about your engagement." Ron grinned and Hermione elbowed him in the ribs. "Ouch!"  
  
"Congratulations." Hermione smiled. "By the way, are you a Muggle-born? How do you know about Daniel Radcliffe?"  
  
"I'm a pure Muggle." Alexandra grinned.  
  
"Did someone just say "pure Muggle" ?" A voice asked and Alexandra looked up from Hermione. "You are....." She started.  
  
"Hello, Mr. Weasley. Alex, I am sure that you know who this is." Remus said. "Mr. Weasely, this is my Muggle fiancée."  
  
"Mr. Arthur Weasley, hello!" Alexandra said, holding out her hand. "Pleased to meet you."  
  
"I'm very delighted to see you!" Mr. Weasley said, shaking her hand enthusiastically. "You know, I am working in Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, and I am very interested in Muggles. Why don't we go for a drink at Leaky Cauldron, just you, Professor Lupin and myself next time when we meet? Can I ask you questions about your world by then? I ask Harry and the Grangers but it never seems enough..."  
  
"Sure! I'm as interested in your world as you are in mine." Alexandra said cheerfully.  
  
"Great!" Mr. Weasley said and turned to Ron. "Ron, we better go, your mother has been asking about you...See you next time!"  
  
"Say hi to your family for me!" Alexandra said, as if she had known the Weasleys for ages and waved goodbye to Mr. Weasley and Ron.  
  
"Hermione, are you ready to go yet?" Hermione's mother asked.  
  
"Just two more books to get. Mom, this is Alexandra, Professor Lupin's fiancée. She is a Muggle too." Hermione introduced.  
  
"Hello." Alexandra said and shook Mrs. Granger's hand. "Isn't it just great to have a girl like Hermione for your daughter? Remus mentioned that she is the smartest witch in Gryffindor."  
  
"I know, and I am proud of her. She is good in everything." Mrs. Granger said.  
  
"Except for wizard chess." Harry grinned and Hermione stomped his foot. "Ouch! And she has bad temper!" He added and Hermione glared at him.  
  
"Well, we have got to go and buy our rings." Remus said and they waved Hermione, Harry and Mrs. Granger goodbye.  
  
"So Remus, where is the jewelry shop? I don't remember reading about a jewelry shop...." Alexandra said as they walked past Eeylops Owl Emporium.  
  
"Aha! Whoever is writing books on Harry doesn't know everything, do they?" Remus asked.  
  
Alexandra didn't respond.  
  
"Here we are. Aphrodite's Jewelry." Remus said, stopping outside a fancy shop with necklaces and rings displayed on the display window.  
  
They went in and a beautiful lady with blond hair and blue eyes attended to them immediately. "Ah! Are you two here to buy rings?" She asked cheerfully.  
  
"That's right!" Remus said, grinning.  
  
"Sit down." The lady, Aphrodite, said, pointing at the two stools beside a glass case of jewels, which had no top.  
  
Remus and Alexandra sat down and Aphrodite went behind the jewel box. "Now which pair of rings do you want?" She asked.  
  
"I want a plain one. As for Alexandra, well, she will decide." Remus said.  
  
"I want a ring with a sapphire." Alexandra said.  
  
"I thought diamonds are girls' best friends." Remus said in an interested tone.  
  
"Not me, I prefer sapphires." Alexandra said.  
  
"Female Sapphire Wingardium Leviosa." Aphrodite said, waving her wand and rings with sapphires floated out of the glass case. "Take your pick."  
  
Alexandra was choosing over the sea of sapphires when Remus spotted something and patted Alexandra's shoulder excitedly. "What?"  
  
"Alex, how about that?" Remus asked, pointing at a ring with a tiny butterfly-shaped sapphire with sliver outlining the sapphire.  
  
"Oh my god! It is beautiful!" Alexandra said and pointed at that ring. "May I look at that?"  
  
"Accio butterfly!" Aphrodite said, pointing her wand at the ring and it flew to her hand. She presented it to Alexandra and Alexandra took it. "I think it suits you."  
  
Alexandra put on the ring and showed it to Remus. "How is it?"  
  
"It is so you." Remus said shortly.  
  
"I think I will take it." Alexandra said, smiling.  
  
"Good!" Aphrodite said, clapping her hands. She waved her wand and the rings went back to their positions. "So sir, which one do you like?" She asked, turning to Remus.  
  
"Give me a white gold one." Remus said.  
  
"Male Plain White Gold Wingardium Leviosa."  
  
And plain white gold rings flew out.  
  
Remus chose a thin white gold ring and Aphrodite asked: "Do you two want anything to be engrave on the rings?"  
  
"Will it take long?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"Of course not, I use magic." Aphrodite said.  
  
"Okay, engrave the both of our rings with the words: "I Love Thee"." Remus said, smiling.  
  
"Aw, how sweet." Aphrodite said, took the rings, put them on a tiny cushion, pointed at them and said: "Engrave I Love Thee."  
  
"There, how is that?" Aphrodite asked, showing Remus and Alexandra the rings. Both of them had the words "I Love Thee" in their inner side.  
  
"Excellent, we will take them." Remus said. "How much are they?"  
  
"80 Galleons." Aphrodite said.  
  
"Charge it to my account in Gringotts. Vault number 510. The name is Remus Lupin." Remus said.  
  
"Remus, don't you think that it is a little expensive?" Alexandra asked after they had stepped out of the shop.  
  
"Don't you like the ring?" Remus asked back.  
  
"Yes. Very much. And I love it." Alexandra smiled.  
  
"Good." Remus said and then put his arm over Alexandra's shoulders. "I want my bride to be the happiest one of the wizarding world." 


	12. Escape

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Thank you for your reviews! And Isis Malfoy, for Beta-Reading!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Note: My fic, my rules. So in this fic You-Know-Who (not Voldemort) didn't die.  
  
Chapter 12: Escape  
  
"Sirius! I'm back!!!!" Remus called from the living room.  
  
"What the...." Sirius started, jumping up from his chair, stepping over a couple of magazines on his bedroom floor and stopped at the back of the door, where he hung the calendar. He read the date: 11th of June.  
  
"Sirius?" Remus called again. "Are you home?"  
  
"Um, yeah!" Sirius called, opening the door and poking his head out.  
  
Remus ran up to the second floor and stopped in front of Sirius. "Are you surprised to see me?"  
  
"Yeah. What are you doing here? What happened to the belladonna?" He asked.  
  
"Surprise spot check." Remus said, lifting his head up. And then he smiled. "Not bad, you keep the house as good as the time when I left it."  
  
"Hey, I know how to clean a place, all right?" Sirius said.  
  
Remus snorted. "Yeah right." He said and stared at Sirius' room, which had magazines on the floor. The bed was unmade; bubble gum wrappers were all over the desk, a Muggle dartboard with pictures (which were drew by Sirius himself) of Peter (which had the word "Traitor") and Snape (which had the word "Greasehead") was hanging on the wall and Muggle darts were on the floor instead of the dartboard.  
  
Sirius ignored his comment. "So? What happened to your girl?"  
  
"Alex? Oh, she is fine. She goes back to school today and I just take the time to come back here."  
  
"You come back here just to see if I have turned the whole place into a rubbish dump?" Sirius asked.  
  
"No, I have one more thing to announce, if Harry has not told you, that is." Remus said.  
  
"What?"  
  
Remus stared at Sirius and crossed his arms.  
  
"What?" Sirius asked again.  
  
Remus looked down to his left hand and still didn't say anything.  
  
"Remus, if you don't tell me in the proper way, I am going to close the door on your face." Sirius said impatiently.  
  
Remus rolled his eyes. "Look at my left hand!" He said exasperatedly.  
  
"What is so special about your...." Sirius started and looked at Remus' hand. "....left hand?" His mouth dropped open and he grabbed Remus' left hand. He examined Remus' engagement ring closely. "Is it real?" He asked.  
  
"Of course it is real."  
  
"So you are telling me...." Sirius started.  
  
Remus grinned. "Yep, I am getting married!" He paused. "And you can be my best man." He added.  
  
"Oh Merlin." Sirius managed to say.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Wow! I get to be the best man again!" Sirius exclaimed happily. "Give me a hug, old boy!"  
  
Remus hugged Sirius tightly.  
  
"Congratulations, Moony! You have finally found your true love!" Sirius said and released his good friend. "So, when is the wedding day?"  
  
"I don't know, maybe around July. But it is definitely after 18th of June. Because that's Alex's graduation day. "  
  
"Oh. So how many people are you inviting?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Let's see.... I am inviting Harry, you of course, Hermione, Ron, Neville, Professor Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Snape....." Remus counted his fingers.  
  
"What? You are going to invite that greasehead?" Sirius exclaimed in disbelief.  
  
"He is my colleague after all, and he is the one who makes the Wolfsbane Potion for me." Remus said. "Madam Hooch, Professor Sprout, Madam Pomfrey..... anyway, I have not wrote the invitations yet, so I don't know exactly how many people am I going to invite."  
  
"Okay." Sirius said.  
  
Remus looked at his watch. "I have got to go, Alex will be back soon. Don't mess up the house, all right?"  
  
"I have done it well so far, didn't I?" Sirius said. "Now go back to your future wife."  
  
Remus grinned and disapparated.  
  
As soon as he did, Sirius ran downstairs and looked around the house. "Good thing that I am smart enough." He said, searched his robes for his wand, took it out and waved it. He had put a charm around the house so that if Remus suddenly came back, he would see that the house was clean because he couldn't see the rubbish, which was hidden by Sirius' charm. When Sirius lifted the charm, the whole house was as messy as possible. In the living room, boxes of food were on the table and the floor was litter with rubbish. In the kitchen, dirty glasses and dishes were piled up in the sink and there was a dirty frying pan on the floor. (Because one time when Sirius tried to cook, he burnt his food and picked up the pan in the wrong way. In the end he scalded his hand, dropped the frying pan on his foot and was too angry to pick the frying pan up.)  
  
"Maybe I should clean up the house." Sirius said thoughtfully and picked up an empty greasy box.  
  
***  
  
"Isn't it just great, Alex? One more week until our graduation!" Paris said and sat down on the seat beside Alexandra.  
  
Alexandra sighed happily and nodded.  
  
Paris saw a dreamy look on Alexandra's face and blinked. "What is the matter with you?"  
  
"Hm? Nothing." Alexandra sang and propped her chin up with her left hand.  
  
"AH! Alex, who gave you that ring?" Paris exclaimed loud enough for everyone to hear, included Tim.  
  
"Remus." Alexandra said shortly.  
  
"Are you two...." Paris started.  
  
Alexandra nodded again. "Paris, will you be my maid-of-honor?"  
  
"Will I?" Paris asked. "Of course I will! Oh Alex, I am so happy for you!" She said and hugged Alexandra tightly.  
  
As she did, some of Alexandra's friends started to ask her questions.  
  
"When is the wedding day?"  
  
"What is your boyfriend looks like?"  
  
"Could he give me a friend?"  
  
"NO!" Someone yelled and Alexandra and her friends turned.  
  
"You can't marry him!" Tim yelled furiously.  
  
"Of course I can." Alexandra said calmly. "You are not my father so you have no right to object."  
  
"He is not normal!" Tim said loudly.  
  
Silence.  
  
"What did you say?" Alexandra managed to ask. Oh no, had Tim found out that Remus was a wizard?  
  
"He crashed my hand!" Tim shrieked. "No normal people could do that! He has cast a spell on you to marry him! He must be a wizard!"  
  
"Tim, you must have read too much books on Harry Potter! How could Remus be a wizard? I know that there is a character called Remus Lupin in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" but he doesn't, I repeat, doesn't exist! Neither do Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, or Ron Weasley! It is just a pure coincidence that Alexandra's fiancé's name is Remus! Right, Alex?" Paris asked.  
  
"Hm, right." Alexandra lied.  
  
"Did Remus ever change into a werewolf during a full moon?" Paris asked again.  
  
"No." Alexandra lied again.  
  
"See?" Paris said.  
  
Tim narrowed his eyes and sat down.  
  
"So have you two bought the wedding outfits yet?" A girl asked as if there was no interruption.  
  
"No." Alexandra said, giving a nervous glance at Tim, who seems to be thinking deeply.  
  
***  
  
When Alexandra got home, she smelt a very delicious smell from the kitchen; she went there and saw Remus sitting in front of the microwave oven, staring through its window. She raised her eyebrows. "I didn't know that Professor Remus Lupin could bake." She said, smiling.  
  
"I was trying to make a pizza for lunch." Remus said, looked up and smiled at Alexandra.  
  
Alexandra grinned. "That explains the white stain on your cheek."  
  
"Really? Where?" Remus asked, trying to wipe off the flour on his cheek.  
  
"Here." Alexandra said, took a cloth that was hanging on a hook, went to him and gently wiped off the stain. "There."  
  
Remus stared at Alexandra and smiled sweetly. "Thanks."  
  
DING  
  
"Ah!" Remus exclaimed, leaned forward and opened the microwave door. He took it out with flourish and said: "Ta-da! Remus' Pizza!" He put it on the table, cut it with a knife and offered Alexandra a piece. "Don't worry, I didn't poison it."  
  
Alexandra took and bites it. She frowned. "It is a little hard." She said with her mouth full.  
  
"Really?" Remus said, took a slice and ate it. "Yeah, maybe I have overcooked it."  
  
Alexandra swallowed. "At least it tastes nice. I am counting on you to make another one on my birthday." She said and took another bite.  
  
"No way, one time is enough, I rather use magic." Remus said, grinning.  
  
Alexandra stopped chewing.  
  
Remus' grin faded. "What? Did I say something wrong?"  
  
Alexandra swallowed her food. "Tim knows, Remus."  
  
Remus stared at her blankly.  
  
"He knows that you are a wizard."  
  
"I guess he had figured out about that trick I gave him." Remus said slowly.  
  
"Remus, what are we going to do?" Alexandra asked desperately. "I saw him thinking deeply. I know that he is going to try something horrible to us!"  
  
Remus stared at her. "We'll leave."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"We'll leave." Remus repeated, taking Alexandra's hand into his. "We are going to pack our things and leave the Muggle world, tonight."  
  
"Now?" Alexandra asked. "But...."  
  
"We have no choice. The longer we stay in the Muggle world, the sooner that boy will get us." Remus said. "You can come back when it is safer, maybe a few years later. If we are lucky, maybe that Slytherin will forget about you and marry someone else in the future."  
  
Alexandra thought for a while and nodded. "I guess that's the only way."  
  
Remus smiled and they shared a long kiss. When they paused for air, Remus put his arms around Alexandra's waist and rested his forehead against hers. "Let's leave at midnight. Then nobody can see us." He whispered.  
  
"All right." Alexandra said and closed her eyes as Remus pulled her closer to his body, moved his arms higher to her back and hugs her lovingly.  
  
***  
  
12.00AM  
  
"Come on, Alex, hurry up." Remus said, looking out at the dark street at the front door.  
  
"I can't bear to leave this place." Alexandra said sadly, looking around at her empty living room with her luggage in her hand. She sighed, switched off the lamp and walked towards Remus.  
  
"I know but we will be back someday." Remus said, taking Alexandra's hand. He closed the front door while Alexandra went to her mailbox, took out a white letter that had the words: "To my friend, Paris" on it and put it into the mailbox. She knew that Paris would look into the mailbox if she came to check on her when Alexandra didn't turn up for the graduation ceremony.  
  
"Come on, let's go." Remus said, walking towards her and took her hand.  
  
"Well, well, well, escaping are we?" A voice asked and Remus and Alexandra turned around.  
  
Tim came out of the shadows with a knife. 


	13. Destined to be Alone

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Thank you for your reviews! And thank you, Isis, for being my Beta-Reader!  
  
Note: You are going to hate me for this!!!  
  
Chapter 13: Destined to be Alone  
  
"What the hell are you doing here, Tim?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"To claim what I should have." Tim said slowly and walked towards them. He gazed at Alexandra lovingly. "You."  
  
"You are crazy." Remus said, shaking his head.  
  
Tim turned his head slowly to Remus and scowled darkly. "No one ask your opinion, you filthy half-human." He spat.  
  
Remus raised one eyebrow while Alexandra gasped in horror. "Tim, how dare you call my fiancé a, a, half-human!" She said and put her hand to her mouth as if she had just said an offensive word.  
  
"Of course I call him a half-human!" Tim said, gripping his knife tighter.  
  
The knife caught the moonlight and shone softly. Remus swallowed and stared at it uncertainly. Something told him that it was not made of ordinary steel....  
  
"He is a werewolf!" Tim exclaimed and held up his knife. "And do you know what this knife made of?"  
  
"What?" Alexandra and Remus asked.  
  
"Ssssssilver." Tim hissed. "And I am sure that everyone knows what damage it can do to a werewolf. But in case you are not a werewolf, I have dipped this knife in poison. If the poison gets into your bloodstream, you will die in the next few hours."  
  
Remus went pale while Alexandra said: "Yeah, Remus is a werewolf, but so what? He acts more like a human than you do. I love him! So get out of here, I am not going anywhere with you."  
  
Tim scowled. "Alexandra Skipper, you are on the verge of making a very big mistake right now."  
  
"I don't care." Alexandra snapped. "No matter what you do, I will not leave Remus."  
  
"Then I will make you!" Tim roared and without warning, he jumped onto Remus and the both of them fell onto the ground.  
  
The first thing Tim tried to do was reached for Remus's throat. As quick as lightning, Remus threw a punch across Tim's face before he could get his hands on his throat.  
  
Tim was thrown off and Remus yelled: "Alex, get my wand! I put it in my backpack!"  
  
Remus got up when Alexandra opened his backpack, but then Tim grabbed Remus's ankle and Remus fell down once again. He rolled onto his back; Tim jumped onto him and grasped his throat.  
  
"Looks like I don't need to use the knife after all....." Tim said evilly and tightened his grip.  
  
Remus gasped and coughed desperately for air, he was too weak to defend himself. His hands reached Tim's and held them, trying to get them off. Alexandra gasped in horror, dropped Remus's backpack, took her luggage and tiptoed to Tim.  
  
"Face it, Remus Lupin, Alexandra is.....AAHHHHH!!!!!" He exclaimed in pain and let go of Remus's throat immediately.  
  
Remus sat up and coughed for air. He rubbed his throat as he saw Tim clutching the back of his head painfully. He then looked at Alexandra, who had her luggage high up in her hands.  
  
"You whacked his head?!" Remus asked in disbelief.  
  
Alexandra nodded quickly.  
  
"Let go before he gets up!" Remus cried and got up.  
  
He took Alexandra's hand and Alexandra looked back to see if Tim had gotten up yet. Her eyes widened as she watched Tim got up and snatched his knife. Tim gave a shout of anger and charged towards Remus with his knife raised.  
  
"REMUS, LOOK OUT!" Alexandra cried.  
  
Remus turned his head around and Alexandra pushed him aside. Remus fell hard on the ground and heard someone gasped in pain. He got up and his eyes widened in terror at the sight of his fiancée standing in front of Tim, with the knife through her chest.  
  
Tim, who was still holding onto the knife, removed his hand and backed away immediately. "I-I d-didn't m-mean t-to......" He stammered.  
  
"Alex!" Remus cried, got up and caught Alexandra neatly into his arms before she could sink to the floor. "Alex, why, oh why are you doing this...." He said over and over again.  
  
Tim turned around and ran straight to the road. He was too scared to look out for a car, which was coming his way.  
  
SCREECH  
  
BANG  
  
Remus watched silently as the driver came out of his car and shouted at the sight of Tim lying in a pool of blood: "OH MY GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE?"  
  
Not really wanted to bother about Tim anymore, Remus turned his attention to Alexandra. "Don't worry, Alex, I will take you to Madam Pomfrey, she can heal anything....." He said and carrying Alexandra in his arms, he moved into the shadows and disapparated before the driver could spot them.  
  
***  
  
Remus apparated right outside Hogwarts and rushed right into the castle. As he ran to the hospital wing, Remus shouted: "MADAM POMFREY!!!!!"  
  
A door beside the hospital wing swung opened and Madam Pomfrey rushed out in her nightdress. "Professor Lupin, what......" She started and gasped in horror when she saw Alexandra's wound.  
  
"Help her, Madam Pomfrey, I beg of you!" Remus said quickly. "I don't want her to die." He whispered in fear.  
  
"Put her on one of the beds!" Madam Pomfrey said and threw open the hospital wing's doors.  
  
Both of them dashed in and Remus put Alexandra onto a bed. Madam Pomfrey went straight to a cabinet and opened it, taking out a few bottles of potions. "Professor Lupin, you must not stay here, go outside and wait."  
  
"But...." Remus started.  
  
"GO." Madam Pomfrey said firmly.  
  
Remus frowned deeply but he didn't protest. He bent down and whispered comfortingly: "Don't worry, Darling, everything will be just fine. Just relax."  
  
Alexandra gave a weak smile as Remus tucked a few strands behind her ear and kissed her forehead. He held her hand tightly until Madam Pomfrey had to say: "Professor Lupin, I can't heal her if you continue to stay here."  
  
"Sorry." Remus mumbled and removed his hand unwillingly. He gave Alexandra one last look before he left the hospital wing.  
  
***  
  
"Remus, what the hell do you think you are doing?" A voice demanded when Remus stepped out of the hospital wing.  
  
Remus lifted his head slowly and saw Snape, Madam Hooch, Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore in their nightclothes. Snape's hair looked messy as if he had just woken up and he had a scowl on his face.  
  
"Well? Don't tell me that you woke us up for fun." Snape sneered.  
  
Remus just stared at him with lifeless eyes. Then he scowled back darkly and said in a low whisper: "Don't provoke me right now, you Slytherin."  
  
He said the word "Slytherin" in a tone so full of hatred and contempt that everyone raised their eyebrows in surprise.  
  
Snape opened his mouth and said: "Me? You...."  
  
"Severus." Dumbledore warned gently. "Remus, do you mind telling us what is going on?" He asked kindly.  
  
Remus turned his head to Dumbledore and his scowl disappeared in a flash. A sorrow look replaced the scowl and Remus said: "Alexandra......"  
  
"Yes?" Professor McGonagall asked in concern.  
  
"Injured.....my....fault...." Remus said before he started to sob.  
  
"Pathetic." Snape muttered and Madam Hooch stepped on his foot, hard. "Ow!"  
  
As Dumbledore pat Remus's shoulder and hug him like a son, saying: "There, there, Remus, don't cry....." Professor McGonagall turned and glared at Snape. "Shut up." She hissed.  
  
"Minerva, Severus, Mandy, do you mind leave us alone?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Madam Hooch nodded quickly and walked for a few steps before she grabbed Snape's hand and dragged him down the corridor, saying: "Come on, Severus, don't be such a busybody."  
  
Professor McGonagall kissed Dumbledore's cheek and said: "Goodnight." Then she said to Remus: "Don't worry, Alexandra is going to be all right."  
  
Without looking at Professor McGonagall, Remus nodded.  
  
After Professor McGonagall left, Dumbledore released Remus and asked: "Why don't we sit down?"  
  
Remus wiped his tears away and nodded. Both of them sat down on a bench and Dumbledore waved his hand. Two cups of tea appeared in mid air. Dumbledore took one and offered it to Remus. "Tea?"  
  
"Thanks." Remus mumbled and took it. He sniffed it and took a sip. "What is this?"  
  
"Lavender tea. Lavender's scent has a soothing effect on the mental agitation." Dumbledore said as he took the other cup. He took a sip and said: "Now, do you mind telling me what's going on?"  
  
Remus took another sip and started to tell Dumbledore everything about Tim, his threat and how Alexandra got her injury. As he spoke, he took a sip after every sentence and asked for another cup when he finished a cup. By the time he had finished his story, he had drank three cups of tea.  
  
Dumbledore sighed and shook his head. "Jealousy, the most feared feeling in the world. It could destroy a relationship and makes a person to lose his or her mind."  
  
Remus gave his empty cup to Dumbledore and Dumbledore asked: "More tea?"  
  
"No thanks." Remus said quietly.  
  
With a wave of his hand, Dumbledore put the cups away.  
  
Remus stood up and started pacing. "What is taking Madam Pomfrey so long?"  
  
The moment the words had left his lips, Madam Pomfrey opened the door.  
  
Remus rushed to her and asked in panic: "So, how is Alex, Madam Pomfrey?"  
  
"Err......" Madam Pomfrey started.  
  
"Well?" Remus demanded.  
  
"Do you want to hear the truth?" Madam Pomfrey asked.  
  
Remus went pale. "It is not good, is it?"  
  
Madam Pomfrey shook her head. "The poison has already broken down to the point that I can't identify it."  
  
"You....can't....identify....it?" Remus asked slowly.  
  
Madam Pomfrey shook her head again. "I have used the best potion and spell in the hospital wing, but none of them is able to identify it."  
  
Dumbledore opened his mouth.  
  
"If you are suggesting using a bezoar, Headmaster, I can't use it. Not without knowing what poison it is." Madam Pomfrey said.  
  
Dumbledore closed his mouth.  
  
"Is that means she is going to die?" Remus whispered.  
  
For the first time, Madam Pomfrey nodded. "I afraid so." 


	14. The Arrival of Dawn

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Disclaimer 2: The song that Remus is singing belongs to Frederick Lowe and Alan J Lerner.  
  
Thank you for your reviews! And thank you, Isis Malfoy, for the Beta- Reading!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Note: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER  
  
Chapter 14: The Arrival of Dawn  
  
"No, there must be another way!" Remus said hysterically, he caught hold of Madam Pomfrey's shoulders and stared at her. "Madam Pomfrey, she can't die! Are you sure there's no way to cure her?"  
  
Madam Pomfrey shook her head weakly. Remus let go of her slowly.  
  
"How much time?" Remus asked finally.  
  
"Only a few hours. She may die before or after dawn, depends on how much poison she had taken." Madam Pomfrey said sadly and wept. "Oh poor girl, she is so young and has so much things to do, and now she is going to die.....I am so useless...." She wailed.  
  
Dumbledore patted her shoulder. "There, there, Poppy, you have done your best..."  
  
Remus walked past Madam Pomfrey and into the hospital wing when she said: "You wouldn't say that if the person in there is Minerva...."  
  
Remus walked slowly towards Alexandra's bed, kneeled down and took his fiancée's hand. He stared at her pale face. Alexandra had her eyes closed. "Alex?" He whispered and Alexandra opened her eyes weakly. "Alex? How are you feeling?"  
  
"Dreadful." Alexandra said as she looked at Remus with her lifeless eyes. "I heard everything. I am going to die, right?"  
  
Remus didn't respond, he just kissed her hand softly.  
  
"Answer me, Remus." Alexandra said.  
  
Remus buried his face in the folds of her blanket and nodded slowly.  
  
Alexandra sighed and closed her eyes.  
  
Remus lifted his head up at her sigh and said anxiously: "Alex?"  
  
Alexandra opened her eyes. "Remus, take me to the beach."  
  
"Huh?" Remus said blankly.  
  
"Please? I want to see the dawn." Alexandra pleaded.  
  
Remus swallowed and managed to say: "Fine. I will carry you there...."  
  
***  
  
"Now, Poppy, you can't resign....." Dumbledore started when Remus came out, carrying Alexandra in his arms. Alexandra had her face buried in Remus's neck.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey, is it okay if I bring Alexandra to the beach?" Remus asked desperately.  
  
Madam Pomfrey, who now had red eyes and nose from crying, sniffed and nodded.  
  
***  
  
"This is so peaceful, Remus." Alexandra said softly as she and Remus strolled together on the sand as the rolling waves tickled their feet.  
  
Remus gave a feeble smile and nodded slowly.  
  
"Oh look, a seashell!" Alexandra said, squatting down to the sand.  
  
As she did, Remus looked up at the sky. "Is it just me, or the sky is getting lighter?" He thought.  
  
And he began to pray. He knew that it would not come true but he still wanted to. "Please, Sun, please don't come up, I don't want my love to be taken away from me, please don't come up...." He pleaded silently with a sorrow look on his face.  
  
Alexandra straightened up and noticed Remus's face. She sighed and held Remus's hand.  
  
Remus, who forgot that Alexandra was still there, jumped at her touch. "Ah! What, I mean, yes?"  
  
"Are you regretting now, Remus?" Alexandra asked quietly.  
  
"Huh?" Remus asked back. "Regret what?"  
  
"I'm dying, Remus. Aren't you regretting that you are engaged to a girl who is going to die?" Alexandra asked in a more quiet tone.  
  
"No, why should I be?" Remus asked, sounding slightly hurt. He held Alexandra's both hands tightly. "Alex, it is not your fault that you are like this. You know that. Alex, I still love you no matter what."  
  
"Not even when I am dy....." Alexandra started.  
  
"Shhh...." Remus put his finger onto Alexandra's lips. "Please don't say the word, it hurts me." He said sadly.  
  
"If you insist." Alexandra said softly.  
  
"I insist. I don't want to hear that word or anything related to it." Remus ordered.  
  
Without a word, Alexandra dropped the seashell and hugged him as tightly as she could. Remus warped his arms around her and kissed her forehead lightly.  
  
***  
  
"I think the sky is getting lighter." Alexandra whispered as she was leaning comfortably in Remus's arms. Both of them were now sitting on the dry sand, waiting for dawn.  
  
"It looks dark to me." Remus protested.  
  
Alexandra smiled and shook her head slightly. "Face it, Remus, it is."  
  
Remus rested his chin on Alexandra's head. "It may be, but I don't want to face it." He said quietly. "It's my entire fault, Alex. If I didn't faint on your street, you won't meet me and you will still be very much alive."  
  
"Yes, you and I would not be meeting each other if you didn't faint on that street. But then I will lose the love of my life." Alexandra said.  
  
Remus didn't respond. He closed his eyes and sighed quietly so that Alexandra couldn't hear him. He wanted to cry but for some reason, the tears wouldn't come. Everything in his body hurt and it felt like it was bleeding inside. His heart felt like it was going to break into thousand of pieces. He had never felt so upset before, not even when James and Lily died.  
  
"Remus?" Alexandra asked gently.  
  
The sky was getting lighter as the sun was coming up.  
  
"Hm?" Remus responded absentmindedly.  
  
"Do you remember that Muggle song I taught you?"  
  
Remus paused before he nodded. "Yes."  
  
"Will you sing that song for me?" Alexandra asked.  
  
Remus sighed deeply, wrapped his arms around Alexandra and nodded. "Of course I will."  
  
He cleared his throat and started to sing:  
  
If ever I would leave you  
  
It wouldn't be in summer  
  
Seeing you in summer, I never would go  
  
Your hair streaked with sunlight  
  
Your lips red as flame  
  
Your face with a luster that puts gold to shame  
  
But if I'd ever leave you  
  
How could it be in autumn?  
  
How I'd leave in autumn I never would know  
  
I've seen how you sparkle  
  
When fall nips the air  
  
I know you in autumn and I must be there  
  
And could I leave you running merrily through the snow  
  
Or on a wintery evening when you catch the fire's glow?  
  
If ever I would leave you  
  
How could it be in springtime  
  
Knowing how in spring I'm bewitched by you so?  
  
No, no, not in springtime  
  
Summer, winter, or fall  
  
No, never could I leave you at all  
  
When he was finished, he looked up and stared at the scenery in horror. The sun was up, and Alexandra was going to die any moment...  
  
"Oh no." Remus muttered miserably, "Please....."  
  
"Lovely...singing...Remus....." Alexandra spoke softly.  
  
Remus held her hands tenderly. "Your hands are getting cold."  
  
Alexandra nodded weakly and shifted a little to see him. "They...are...." She removed one of her hands, reached up to touch Remus's face. "Remus..."  
  
"Hm?" Remus asked, shivering a little at Alexandra's cold touch.  
  
"I love you." Alexandra whispered in one breath.  
  
Before Remus could respond, Alexandra gave a small sigh and closed her beautiful eyes as her hand left his face and dropped limply to her side. Remus stared at Alexandra's pale face. He kissed her cheek softly and pressed his against it.  
  
Alexandra didn't respond.  
  
He sighed sadly and hugged Alexandra tighter.  
  
Alexandra still didn't respond.  
  
He closed his eyes and started to weep silently. Alexandra was gone. He would never see her smile and frown again. He would never be able to kiss her sweet lips, and held her in his arms again. He would never....  
  
With tears still on his face, Remus lifted his head to the sky and howled: "GOD I HATE YOU!" 


	15. Still A Slight Chance To Live

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Thank you for your reviews! And thank you, Isis Malfoy, for the Beta- Reading!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Note: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER  
  
Chapter 15: Still A Slight Chance To Live  
  
When Remus's tears dropped onto Alexandra's lips, he bent down to kiss them away.  
  
That's when he felt weak breathing from Alexandra's lips.  
  
Still holding Alexandra, Remus backed away as quick as lightning as if Alexandra's lips had burnt his. After he had recovered from his shock, Remus realized that his fiancée was still but not stiff. He lowered himself to her chest and listened hopefully for any signs of life in her.  
  
And he heard it, there was a heartbeat but it was very feeble.  
  
"Oh Merlin." Remus muttered. He thought deeply for a while and made up his mind.  
  
Quickly but gently, Remus lifted Alexandra up with his arms. "Hang in there, Darling, I am going to bring you to St Mungo's, and I promise you that your memory will not be modified."  
  
****  
  
"I am sorry, Mr. Lupin, but Miss Skipper is a Muggle and is not married to the wizarding world yet. I have to modify her memory." A Healer, Apollo, said to Remus firmly in the third floor Potion and Plants Poisoning Department, St Mungo's Hospital.  
  
"You mean you will heal Alex only after I married her?!" Remus asked with a mixture of horror and anger. He shifted Alexandra (he refused to put her down) a little in his arms. "She will be dead by then!"  
  
"Are you sure that she will not break up with you before your wedding? What if the both of you spilt and she goes on babbling to her muggle friends about our world's secrets to her world?"  
  
Before Remus could reply, someone wearing dark blue robes rushed past him and pushed Apollo to the wall, saying in disgust: "Some Healer you are!"  
  
"Sirius, don't!" Another voice called and Remus turned around to see Dumbledore standing behind him.  
  
"Be gentle, Sirius." Dumbledore said gently.  
  
"What? With this idiot?" Sirius asked in disbelief. "No way."  
  
"Please." Dumbledore said.  
  
Sirius glared at Apollo and let him go.  
  
Dumbledore walked to Apollo and said: "Sir, I assumed that you know who I am?"  
  
"Of course, everyone knows you. You are Albus Dumbledore." Apollo said in a respectful way.  
  
Remus swallowed nervously. "Come on, hurry up, Alex is dying here...." He thought frantically.  
  
"Good and may I have a bet with you?"  
  
"Huh?" Apollo asked confusedly while Sirius raised his eyebrows.  
  
"What kind of bet?" Apollo asked.  
  
"Let's bet on my Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Lupin and his fiancée. You will heal Miss Skipper but do not modify her memory. If the both of them can't maintain their relationship until their wedding day, I can give my deepest secrets, which can do serious damage to my reputation."  
  
"You staked your reputation on your employee's love life?" Apollo asked.  
  
Dumbledore just smiled. "But if I win, you will do everything Lupin and his fiancée say on their wedding day."  
  
"What?! No way, I am not going to be order around like a dog....." Apollo said and Sirius glared at him dangerously. He gulped and said tiredly: "Okay, okay, forget about the bet! I will heal Miss Skipper and not modify her memory! Satisfied?" He turned and yelled to the other Healers: "Get a gurney, quick!"  
  
A second later, the Healers came running with a gurney and Remus placed Alexandra tenderly on it.  
  
"Get her to the emergency room, now!" Apollo ordered and Alexandra was wheeled off. Remus started to follow when he stopped him and said: "Oh no, Mr. Lupin, I can't let you into the emergency room."  
  
"Why you..." Sirius began furiously when Apollo said: "That's a rule that I definitely can't break. Mr. Lupin, I afraid you have to go home and wait for further news."  
  
Without another word, Apollo turned around and rushed to the direction where Alexandra was being taken to.  
  
Sirius put his hand on Remus's shoulder. "Don't worry mate, she will pull through, I am sure."  
  
Remus reached up and patted his hand.  
  
"You want to go home?"  
  
Remus shook his head. "I want to wait here."  
  
"But it will probably take hours!" Sirius protested.  
  
"I don't care." Remus said stubbornly.  
  
"Remus, go home with Sirius. I, Minerva, Mandy, Severus, Hagrid, Poppy and Georgia will take turns to stay here. We will inform you when there is news." Dumbledore said.  
  
Remus turned to Dumbledore. "Professor, how could you stake your reputation? What if that Healer agreed to take the bet?"  
  
"I know I will win the bet anyway. I trust you and Miss Skipper. Nothing on Earth could come between the both of you."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"So are you going home?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
Remus shook his head again.  
  
***  
  
30 minutes later, Sirius gave up pressing Remus to go home and sat down with him on a bench. Dumbledore had gone to send an owl to Professor McGonagall.  
  
"How did you know that I was here, anyway?" Remus asked.  
  
"Dumbledore guessed it. He sent an owl to me around dawn, told me everything and wanted me to comfort you. But when I got to the beach, you were not there. So I asked Dumbledore and....you know the rest." Sirius said and yawned a little.  
  
That was when Apollo came to them.  
  
Remus jumped up from his seat. "How is she? Is Alex going to be alright?"  
  
Apollo sighed a little.  
  
Remus stared at the Healer. "What does that sigh mean?"  
  
Apollo took a deep breath. "We managed to get most of the poison out." He said.  
  
"And?" Sirius asked slowly.  
  
"Some of it had broken down into her bloodstream so deeply that we can't get it out." Apollo said.  
  
"That means she is still going to die!" Remus said hysterically.  
  
"But there is still a slight chance for her to live!" Apollo added quickly.  
  
"Like what?" Sirius asked.  
  
"It is all up to her. She is in a coma now. If she has a strong will to live, she will wake up and live on with the poison. But if her body is too weak to resist the poison, I afraid that she won't last until next week."  
  
Remus sat down heavily on his seat while Sirius said: "I am sure that she has a strong will to live! She loves Remus and I bet that she will live for him!"  
  
"It is all up to her." Apollo repeated. "In the mean time, I suggest that both of you to go home and take a rest."  
  
Remus stood up again. "I want to see Alexandra."  
  
"I am sorry, Mr. Lupin, you can't see her." Apollo said when Dumbledore came back.  
  
"Please."  
  
"No."  
  
"Remus, listen to the Healer." Dumbledore said quietly.  
  
Remus shook his head for the third time of the day. "No." He said again. "I will not go back until Alexandra wakes up."  
  
"Oh for Merlin's sake!" Sirius yelled at Apollo. "First you wouldn't heal Alexandra unless you got your way, then you won't let Remus to see her! What is this place that you won't let us see the people we love?"  
  
Apollo didn't respond.  
  
"Look, Sir, just let Lupin to see his fiancée; I promise you that he will go home after that." Dumbledore said.  
  
"Really?" Apollo asked uncertainly.  
  
Dumbledore and Sirius nodded. Apollo looked at Remus and he nodded unwillingly.  
  
"Okay, follow me."  
  
***  
  
"Alex, please, you must pull through this. You can't leave me alone like this. Please wake up soon and let me see your smile again." Remus whispered beside Alexandra's bed as he held her hand.  
  
"Hurry up, you have been in here for ten minutes." Apollo said under his breath and Sirius gave him a deadly stare.  
  
Remus kissed Alexandra's engagement ring, and whispered again: "I will be here once you wake up."  
  
"Mr. Lupin, I afraid I have to ask you to leave. You have been in here for too long." Apollo ordered.  
  
Remus was still for a while, and then he removed his hand from Alexandra's reluctantly. Dumbledore stepped forward and put his hand on Remus's shoulder. Remus turned around and Sirius nearly gasped at his eyes, which were red and filled with tears. He stood (Remus had been kneeling down beside Alexandra's bed all this time) up and Dumbledore removed his hand. He gave a small sniff and marched straight out of the ward.  
  
Sirius turned to Apollo. "How old are you?"  
  
"30."  
  
"Are you married, Sir?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Do you have a girlfriend?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh well, who would love a git like you?" Sirius asked coldly and ran out of the door after his pal.  
  
***  
  
The first thing Remus did when he and Sirius got home was to go to his room and lock himself in.  
  
"Moony, Moony hey! What the hell are you doing in there?!" Sirius yelled from outside Remus's room.  
  
"Just leave me alone!" Remus bellowed.  
  
"Okay.....but don't kill yourself!" Sirius called.  
  
Remus lay down on his bed without even changing his clothes.  
  
***  
  
For the next few days, Remus refused to come out of his room. Sirius, who still couldn't enter his room no matter what method he used, tried to talk, cajole, plead, and threaten him to come out, but none of them worked. He didn't eat for days either, saying from his room to Sirius that he was "too worried to eat anything".  
  
Finally, one day, Sirius said: "Look, Moony, I am worried about Alexandra too! But listen pal, your fiancée will be upset if she sees you like this. You refuse to eat, drink and I am sure that you don't sleep either....."  
  
Sirius stopped when Remus opened the door. "Ah! Good, you......." He paused to look at who he supposed to be his best friend.  
  
Remus looked as pale as chalk; his clothes were as same as the ones he wore at St Mungo's. His hair was as messy as Harry's and his eyes were bloodshot.  
  
"Remus, you really, really have to change your clothes." Sirius managed to say at last.  
  
Remus closed his door on Sirius's face but Padfoot didn't hear any click that indicated the locking of the door.  
  
A few minutes later, Remus opened his door again, wearing a different attire.  
  
"Good, now let's go to the kitchen and get something to eat." Sirius said gently, as if he was talking to a baby.  
  
Remus nodded slowly. "I don't want Alex to be upset." He said in a flat tone that scared Sirius.  
  
"Then come on." Sirius said and turned to walk towards the staircase. He heard Remus walking behind him for a few steps and then a loud THUD.  
  
Sirius looked back and his mouth dropped open at the sight of Remus on the floor, unconscious. "OH MERLIN, REMUS!"  
  
He rushed to Remus and lifted him to a sitting position. "Remus? Remus Lupin! Wake up!"  
  
But Remus didn't wake up. 


	16. Rise Like a Phoenix From the Ashes

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Thank you for your reviews! And thank you, Laura for being my Beta-Reader!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Note: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER  
  
Chapter 16: Rise Like a Phoenix From the Ashes  
  
"Remus? Remus..." a gentle voice called.  
  
Remus opened his eyes slowly.  
  
"Oh Merlin, he has finally awakened!" an energetic voice cried.  
  
But then he covered his eyes quickly with his hand due to the bright light that was shining at them. "My eyes!"  
  
"Sirius, you idiot! The window!" a familiar voice yelled.  
  
"Snape? What is he doing here...." Remus thought.  
  
"Okay, Lupin, you can open your eyes now," another voice said.  
  
Remus opened his eyes again, carefully.  
  
"Moony, are you okay?" Sirius asked anxiously.  
  
Instead of answering, Moony looked around the place without getting up. He was in a room where the curtains were drawn tightly together. Madam Hooch, Snape, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Madam Pomfrey, Hagrid, Professor Sprout and Sirius were standing around his bed, looking at him.  
  
"Where am I? What happened?" he asked with a voice that sounded like he had not spoken for days.  
  
"This is St Mungo's. You fainted. The Healer said that you have had too little nourishment," his best friend explained.  
  
"Where's Alex? Has she awoken yet?" Remus asked.  
  
"Err....no." Sirius said quietly.  
  
Remus was silent for a while before he threw off his blankets.  
  
"Lupin, what the hell are you doing?" Snape demanded.  
  
"I want to see Alex," he said determinedly.  
  
"You can't, you need to rest!" Professor McGonagall said in shock.  
  
"I have rested enough!" Remus snapped as he got down from the bed.  
  
"But..." Poppy started, but she didn't get to finish her sentence as she stared at Remus rushing out of the ward.  
  
"Moony, Moony, hey! Wait up!" Padfoot yelled and he ran after his pal.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Isn't the power of love great?" Hooch asked finally.  
  
Nobody answered.  
  
***  
  
Remus grabbed the doorframes of Alexandra's ward for support when he arrived. Ignoring his legs, which felt as if they would break any minute, he swallowed, let go and walked slowly towards his fiancée's bed. Sirius came from behind and stopped at the door as he watched Moony kneel down heavily beside the bed.  
  
"Hey, wait a minute..." Apollo began when he arrived and Sirius responded by covering his mouth and dragging him away from the ward.  
  
"Alex..." Remus said and held Alexandra's hand, "I was planning to say this on our wedding day, but I can't wait. I am going to say it now...." He paused for a while and then started. "I thought that we would never be together because of what I am. But you don't care. You even said that if you wanted to marry me, you would have to get used to my werewolf form. Although I couldn't speak when you said that, I still had my mind. In my mind, I vowed that I would love and cherish you forever. You are like....a part of me. You are in between life and death now and I feel that I am too.." Remus took a deep breath and sighed. He held Alexandra's hand tighter. "Now I must ask you to wake up soon, so I can fulfill my vow and love you." He ended and kissed Alexandra's lips. "This is what Prince Charming and Prince Philip did to their princesses. I hope this kiss works on you as well." He whispered and stood up, still grasping his beloved's hands.  
  
"Mr. Lupin! You can't just barge into here like this!" Apollo shouted as he stormed into the room.  
  
"Remus, I tried to stop him!" Sirius said frantically as he came back.  
  
Remus responded by putting his finger to his lips.  
  
Both Apollo and Sirius shut up.  
  
"I have had enough time. Excuse me," he muttered and walked past his best friend and the Healer.  
  
***  
  
"Come on, Moony...." Sirius said the next evening.  
  
"No way," Remus said firmly.  
  
"Moony, you said before that you don't want Alexandra to be upset," Sirius pointed out.  
  
He didn't respond.  
  
"Please, Remus, I'm begging you. I can't bear to see you getting thinner and paler day and day. Come on, have a pizza," Sirius pleaded, continuing to hold a slice of pizza.  
  
Remus stared at his friend for a while before he reached out slowly for it.  
  
"That's it, very good.." Sirius said encouragingly.  
  
Remus looked at the pizza and took a bite.  
  
"Okay, I'm done." He said after he had swallowed his food.  
  
"Eat the whole slice, Moony." Sirius said dryly.  
  
"...."  
  
"Moony!"  
  
"All right, all right..." Remus unwillingly took another bite. "Alex likes my pizza," he said softly.  
  
"Oops," Sirius said.  
  
Remus gave the pizza back to his pal.  
  
Sirius asked quickly, "Want anything else?"  
  
Remus shook his head and lay down. He pulled the blankets to his chin. "I'm tired. I wish to be alone. Please."  
  
"Ok, I will come back tomorrow," Sirius said as he got up.  
  
"Don't bother, Padfoot, you need to get some sleep yourself. I know you didn't sleep because of me," Remus said without looking at him.  
  
"Is it obvious?" Sirius asked.  
  
"If you want to know, just look into the mirror," Remus said. "Get some rest tomorrow. I will be fine by myself."  
  
"All right, goodbye," Sirius said unwillingly.  
  
"Bye," his friend said and closed his eyes.  
  
"You are an idiot, Padfoot, out of all the food in the world, you actually brought pizza," he scolded himself mentally as he left Remus's ward.  
  
***  
  
Remus found himself standing in the middle of a beautiful garden. Flowers such as roses, tulips, lilies, daisies, poppies, and narcissuses were growing all over the place. A swing was nearby, swinging slightly by itself as the wind blew.  
  
He was looking at a statue of an angel when someone came behind him and put her arms around him, resting her head against his back.  
  
"Hello, Remus," the person whispered.  
  
Remus looked behind him and smiled. He caught hold of one of Alexandra's hands, lifted it up and kissed it. "Hi," he said, still holding on to his beloved's hand.  
  
"What do you think of this place?" she asked.  
  
"Like heaven," Remus said softly.  
  
Alexandra sighed. "If only heaven was really like this...."  
  
"Then we could live blissfully forever," Remus finished.  
  
"Hey, you finished my sentence!" Alexandra said, pouting a little.  
  
Remus grinned. "Are you objecting?"  
  
Alexandra smiled. "No. What do you think of the angel?" she asked, changing the subject.  
  
"Beautiful. She looks like you," Remus said thoughtfully.  
  
"Really?" Alexandra said, looking over Remus's shoulder to see the angel. "So I am not your fiancée then, I am your angel."  
  
"You are both," Remus said, letting go of Alexandra's hand so that she could come to the front and face him.  
  
"You are my angel and fiancé too," Alexandra said sweetly before she kissed him. "I love you."  
  
****  
  
"Mr. Clayton! Behave yourself!" Apollo yelled outside the ward, waking Remus up from his dream.  
  
Remus groaned and closed his eyes. It was just a dream. He silently grumbled at Apollo for disturbing him and turned his body, back facing the door.  
  
He sighed sadly and went still for a while. He was staring into the darkness of his ward when he heard someone open the door. Remus didn't bother to look, thinking that it was probably just Sirius, Dumbledore, Professor McGonagall, Hagrid, Madam Hooch, Professor Sprout, Madam Pomfrey or Apollo, coming to check his condition.  
  
The person who came in didn't say anything. She just walked slowly near Remus's bed and sat down on his bed. She was quiet for a moment before she leaned forward and kissed Remus's cheek softly.  
  
Remus's eyes widened. Only one person could kiss him like that...He turned his head and saw a pair of beautiful blue eyes looking back at him lovingly. The girl moved her body back and Remus could see her clearly.  
  
Alexandra.  
  
"Alex!" he said, trying to get up.  
  
Alexandra helped him up and when he could sit up, Remus reached out timidly to touch his fiancée's pale cheek.  
  
Her cheek felt warm and Alexandra raised her own hand to hold his and brought it down. "It's me, Remus. I'm all right now."  
  
"Am I dreaming?" Remus whispered.  
  
Alexandra smiled as she shook her head. "No, you are not. I have finally woken up. A Healer told me that you are here a few minutes along so I came."  
  
Remus smiled happily. "Then the kiss works! It really works!" he said delightfully and removed his hand from Alexandra's to hug her.  
  
"I love you." Alexandra whispered.  
  
Remus sniffed as a tear of joy ran down his cheek. "I love you, too," he said as he released her.  
  
***  
  
Apollo finally got his patient to behave himself and go back to his ward. He passed by Remus's ward and saw through the door that Remus and Alexandra were kissing. Passionately.  
  
Apollo raised his eyebrows and folded his arms, thinking of whether he should break them up, this was a hospital after all..  
  
"Nah," he said to himself quietly and left the place.  
  
For all of you who are waiting to see Remus and Alexandra's wedding, stay tuned for the next chapter! 


	17. The Wedding

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Thank you for your reviews! And thank you, Laura for being my Beta-Reader!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Note: THIS IS NOT THE LAST CHAPTER  
  
This is going to be a long chapter! Because every single detail of the wedding is in it!  
  
Chapter 17: The Wedding  
  
A week later, Remus and Alexandra were discharged from St Mungo's. When they finally settled down at Remus's house, they started their wedding preparations and guess where were they going to hold the wedding? Yep, it's Hogwarts! Dumbledore made special arrangements so that Alexandra could see and go to Hogwarts. All the staff and students (ok, maybe all except Snape and the Slytherins) were thrilled; they never had a wedding in Hogwarts before.  
  
Dumbledore decided to cancel all classes and exams for a month so that the teachers and students could get ready for the wedding. The day after Dumbledore had announced that there would be no class, most of the Gryffindor students disappeared and had not been seen unless it was mealtime. Nobody knew what they had been up to during their free time. However, Nearly Headless Nick told Professor McGonagall that when he had passed by the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy being clubbed by trolls at the seventh floor, he had heard the sound of a flute, then a boy yelling: "No Harry, that's the wrong note!" But he hadn't seen anyone. Dumbledore told Professor McGonagall that Hermione actually requested him to order 100 tuxedos and dresses.  
  
Sirius decided to get Harry and move to Grimmauld Place, since that place had been already renovated.  
  
"The Dursleys seem to be very unwilling to let him go, I wonder why," he said to Remus.  
  
The wedding costumes were made by Madam Malkin. Even through Alexandra was marrying INTO the wizarding world; she and Remus didn't want to wear robes for the wedding. They decided to wear Muggle wedding costumes for a change (for Remus and other magical people, that is). Alexandra's wedding gown was gorgeous; it was a full-skirted bustier gown with small light blue star (made of pearls) at the front of chest. A sapphire tiara replaced the usual veil. The shoes were simply white sandals (Alex wouldn't let Remus to buy the crystal made ones). The necklace looked just like "The Heart of the Ocean" from the Muggle movie "Titanic", only it was much smaller in size. The bouquet was made of white roses.  
  
Alexandra's wedding costume alone cost the couple 3,588 Galleons but they were able to afford it since Alexandra transferred her money to Gringotts, Remus had earned enough to pay, and Sirius and Harry pitched in (even though Remus didn't ask).  
  
***  
  
On the day before the wedding day itself, the Great Hall, where the wedding was going to be held, was decorated. Remus and Alexandra were not allowed to go anywhere near it because the decorators, who were the Gryffindor students themselves, wanted to keep it secret.  
  
"How does it look from down there?" Harry asked Hermione, trying to put a bouquet of red roses up against the wall near the enchanted ceiling.  
  
"Hm, a little to the left."  
  
Harry shifted, trying not fall down from the ladder.  
  
Hermione shook her head. "Further."  
  
Harry stretched his left arm as far as he could.  
  
"Further."  
  
Harry leaned forward dangerously with one foot on the ladder.  
  
"Harry, don't lean like that!" Hermione cried.  
  
"It's okay! I won't fall, don't worry!" Harry yelled.  
  
"Oh yeah?" Draco said from the outside of Great Hall, and he pulled out his wand.  
  
"There!" Harry said as he finally put the roses on.  
  
"Per..." Hermione started when...  
  
"WHOA!" Harry shouted as the ladder broke into half.  
  
CRASH  
  
"OH MERLIN!!" Hermione screamed when she saw Harry on the floor.  
  
Harry howled as he clutched his leg.  
  
"Harry, Harry! Are you okay?" Ron asked anxiously as he and Seamus rushed from the other end of the Hall.  
  
"Do I look okay?" Harry snapped.  
  
"Better bring you to the hospital wing," Seamus said as he and Ron lifted Harry up.  
  
Draco smirked at the sight and put his wand away.  
  
***  
  
Outside the castle, however, the teachers were decorating a big garden so that it could host the wedding reception.  
  
"Hm, put the table....here," Madam Pomfrey said and Hagrid simply lifted a long table and put it near a bush.  
  
"Err, no, put it there," she said.  
  
Hagrid put it in the middle of the garden.  
  
"No, maybe there..." Poppy said, pointing at the fountain. "No, maybe not.."  
  
"Poppy, will yeh make up yer mind?" Hagrid asked.  
  
***  
  
On the morning of the wedding day, the school was chaotic but filled with excitement. Alexandra woke up early in the Gryffindor common room (she was thrilled to sleep there; she'd never thought that a Muggle like herself would get to sleep in the Gryffindor Girls' Dormitory). She didn't see any Gryffindors in the common room, nor did she see any in the afternoon when she was on her way to Professor McGonagall's bedroom to get ready for her big day.  
  
"Where could the Gryffindors be? Don't they want to attend their Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher's wedding?" she wondered.  
  
So she asked the female staff (they were there to help her for the wedding) whether they had seen any of the Gryffindor students.  
  
"Saw one just now," Professor Sprout said. "Mr. Longbottom was running towards a staircase in a tuxedo."  
  
"Tuxedo?" Madam Hooch asked. "Why does he have to wear a tuxedo?"  
  
"Don't know. But he looks pretty cute in it." The Herbology teacher grinned.  
  
"All right, enough talking, let's get the bride ready for the wedding!" Madam Pomfrey said when the maid-of-honour, Hermione (Paris couldn't do it since they were getting married in the wizarding world) came running in.  
  
"Ah, s-sorry t-that I am l-ate...." she said as she was trying to catch her breath. "I n-need to t-take c-care something at l-last m-minute..."  
  
"It's all right, Miss Granger, come in." Professor McGonagall said.  
  
Hermione swallowed. "Thanks."  
  
"Sit down, Alexandra." Madam Pomfrey said, and she did.  
  
****  
  
The groom was in Sirius's bedroom (at Hogwarts, of course), preparing for his wedding while his best man and ushers were trying to wear their Muggle suits.  
  
"Remus, your bow is crooked," Sirius said, and tried to adjust it.  
  
"Did any one of yeh see a Gryffindor today? They seem ter have disappeared inter thin air!" Hagrid asked.  
  
"Good thing too," Snape muttered.  
  
"I saw Miss Lavender Brown this morning, wearing a long red spaghetti strap dress with embroidery and sequins," Sirius said.  
  
"Why is she wearing that?" Remus asked.  
  
***  
  
"You look beautiful, even though you have only your makeup on," Hermione said, smiling.  
  
"Thanks," Alexandra said as Madam Pomfrey put the finishing touches on her.  
  
"Now for the hair," Professor Sprout sang as she took out her wand.  
  
"I don't think her hair needs doing," Madam Hooch said. "I mean, her hair looks suitable for the tiara."  
  
"Hmm...." The Herbology teacher said and looked at Alexandra's hair closely. "You are right, her hairstyle is perfect. But..."  
  
She waved her wand and Alexandra's mouth dropped open as she watched her hair became shiny, soft and wavy.  
  
"How's that?" Professor Sprout asked.  
  
"You are a genius," Alexandra said in awe.  
  
"Thank you. Now will you please wait while I do the others' hair and makeup?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Professor Sprout proceeded to do the others' hair and makeup. Hermione's hair had changed into sleek and shiny, just like her hair during the Yule Ball in her fourth year. Her hair was then pinned up with pearl clips. Professor McGonagall's and Madam Pomfrey's hair was pinned up as well. Madam Hooch, however, didn't need anything to do to her hair, since her hair was so short. Professor Sprout didn't do anything to hers either, because she was the makeup artist, not a bridesmaid.  
  
"There. Now will the bride stand up? You need to wear your dress," the Herbology teacher said, and Alexandra did.  
  
Madam Pomfrey smiled as she handed the wedding gown to the bride. Alexandra put it on and Professor McGonagall helped her to button the back. After that, Hermione and the others put on their own dresses. Hermione's dress was a flower trim gown. The bridesmaids' dresses were spaghetti strap gowns with overlays.  
  
"Now for the tiara...." Madam Pomfrey said as she picked up Alexandra's tiara.  
  
Alexandra lowered herself a little (she was a bit taller than the school nurse) and let Madam Pomfrey to put the tiara on.  
  
"There. You are so beautiful! Remus is lucky to have you," Professor McGonagall said as she smiled.  
  
"Just in time; we still have 5 minutes to the wedding!" Madam Hooch said as she looked at her Muggle watch.  
  
"AH!" Hermione screamed and everyone looked at her. "Err...excuse me for a moment, I will be right back!" she said, and she left the room.  
  
***  
  
"Argh, I can't imagine that a stupid stand can be so heavy!" Harry (who had gotten his leg healed) grumbled as he sat down beside Ron in the Great Hall with the rest of the Gryffindors.  
  
After decorating, the Great Hall looked almost like a church. Statues of angels had been put at the side of the Hall; a podium was put in the middle of it where the High Table had been. Beside the podium, 10 rows of seats and stands had been placed and all of the 6th, 7th years and some graduated students like the Weasley twins, Katie Bell, Angelina Johnson and Alicia Spinnet were sitting on them. Oliver Wood (who also came back to attend the wedding. Alexandra thinks that he looks just like Sean Biggerstaff) was sitting in front of the Gryffindors, wearing a tuxedo and was holding a conductor's wand. The four House tables had been replaced by rows of seats. Roses tied with long blue sashes were hanging on the walls near the enchanted ceiling, which showed the clear blue sky.  
  
"At least you are carrying a flute instead of a cello," Ron said.  
  
"Oh, I hope I can play it right..." Neville said when Hermione rushed into the Hall and towards the Gryffindors.  
  
Harry's mouth dropped open at her beauty.  
  
Ron grinned. "So this is what Hermione will look like if she marries you."  
  
"Shut up, we are not even a couple," Harry hissed as he blushed.  
  
"Ooo WE, huh? Don't lie, I saw you and Hermione kissing last night after rehearsal.  
  
Harry blushed deeper and suddenly said: "Huh? What? Sorry, my ears seem to have temporary gone deaf; I can't hear what you are saying..."  
  
"Are you guys ready?" Hermione asked. "The wedding will start in 5 minutes."  
  
All the Gryffindors said "Yes."  
  
"Good, see you later!" she said and ran off.  
  
A few minutes later after she had gone, Remus came in with Flitwick, who would conduct the wedding. His eyes widened when he saw Harry and the others sitting at the seats near the podium, with musical instruments, tuxedos and dresses, looking as if they were musicians. Harry was carrying a flute, Ron was carrying a cello, and Neville and Seamus were carrying violins, and so on.  
  
Remus caught Harry's eyes and Harry just grinned and pointed at the double door.  
  
Once Remus turned his head, Flitwick started to say: "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are here to witness the wedding of Remus John Lupin and Alexandra Skipper. (The audience clapped and Flitwick waited for them to be quiet) But first, let us welcome (he showed the audience the 6th, 7th years and graduated Gryffindor students) the Gryffindor Orchestra, led by Oliver Wood!"  
  
The audience, especially the performers' parents, applauded thunderously as Wood and the Gryffindors stood up and bowed. The Gryffindors sat down again and picked up their instruments.  
  
"Now let the ceremony begin!" Flitwick said. "First, let us welcome the bridesmaids, best man, and ushers!"  
  
The audience turned around, smiled and applauded as the bridesmaids, best man and ushers walked in couples. Hermione walked with Sirius, Madam Hooch with Snape, Madam Pomfrey with Moody (who had also come back for the wedding), and Professor McGonagall with Hagrid. They came to the podium and separated: females on the left and males on the right.  
  
After the couples had situated themselves, Flitwick said: "Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome the bride."  
  
Wood cleared his throat and tapped on his conductor's stand.  
  
"Now he is acting like a real conductor," Fred mumbled in amusement and prepared to blow his trumpet.  
  
Wood raised his hands and started to lead the Gryffindor Orchestra to play "The Wedding March" as Alexandra came in with Dumbledore, who was giving away the bride (since Alexandra's father was a Muggle and had passed away).  
  
Alexandra's mouth nearly dropped open when she saw who was playing the music, Remus, on the other hand, was too enchanted by Alexandra's beauty to notice the music.  
  
"Oh my, isn't she the most beautiful bride you have ever seen?" Molly Weasley said to her husband excitedly.  
  
"She is pretty," Arthur said. "But so were you on our wedding day," he said lovingly.  
  
Molly just blushed.  
  
"Wow, what a doll," Sirius managed to say.  
  
"She and Remus are a perfect match," Madam Pomfrey whispered to Madam Hooch happily.  
  
Dumbledore smiled at Remus and handed Alexandra's hand to him. "She's yours," he said and went to stand behind Hagrid.  
  
Remus blushed, smiled back and held onto his beloved's hand.  
  
As he did, Wood lowered his hands and the Orchestra stopped.  
  
Flitwick cleared his throat and said: "Ladies and Gentlemen, we are here to witness the union of Remus John Lupin and Alexandra Skipper."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Remus John Lupin, do you take Alexandra Skipper as your lawful wedded wife and promise to love her as long as you both shall live?"  
  
Remus squeezed Alexandra's hand tenderly before he said: "I do."  
  
"Alexandra Skipper, do you take Remus John Lupin as your lawful wedded husband and promise to love him as long as you both shall live?"  
  
Alexandra smiled. "I do."  
  
"If anyone here thinks that these two lovers should not be wed, please speak up now or remain silent."  
  
Silence.  
  
"You may exchange the wedding rings."  
  
Sirius took out a box and with a flourish, showed Remus and Alexandra the wedding rings. Both Alexandra's and Remus's rings were made of white gold. Alexandra's ring had a sapphire on it.  
  
The couple took out the rings and exchanged them.  
  
"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride."  
  
Some of the Gryffindors stood up to see Remus lean forward and kiss his lovely bride. The audience applauded again to congratulate this newly wed couple. Some of the female staff sobbed with joy.  
  
When they finally broke their kiss, Sirius rushed forward and put his arm around Remus's shoulder. "Congratulations, old boy!"  
  
Remus grinned happily. "Thanks, when will it be your turn?"  
  
"No way, I am happy to be single. Besides, I need to have some quality time with Harry," Sirius said. "Hey, are we going to the reception now?"  
  
***  
  
At the big garden where the wedding reception was held, the sun was setting, giving the sky a beautiful pink and orange colour. The staff sure had done a good job of decorating. The fountain was enchanted, so that the statue (which was a pretty mermaid with water pouring out of her jar) could glow with different colours, such as light blue, green, yellow, white and black. Light green soft carpet replaced the usual grass on the floor (so that Alexandra and her bridesmaids would not dirty their sandals and gowns). The bushes were decorated with red roses that sparkled magically.  
  
The guests were eating and chatting away cheerfully. The orchestra began their break, left their instruments on a platform, and joined in the fun.  
  
"Congratulations, Professor Lupin and Alexandra," Harry said cheerfully and grinned. "Or should I call you Mrs. Lupin?"  
  
"As you wish," Alexandra said, smiling. "And thank you for your congrats."  
  
"Thanks, Harry. By the way, I didn't know that you play a flute and I didn't expect that you and the Gryffindors would play for our wedding," Remus said kindly.  
  
"That was Hermione's idea. Once Dumbledore said that there would be no exams and classes, she insisted that we should play for your wedding as a wedding gift," Harry said and yawned a little. "Boy, I have not practiced so hard since Wood left Hogwarts. We kept on rehearsing and rehearsing and didn't stop unless it was mealtimes."  
  
"Oh so that's where you people have been!" Remus and Alexandra said.  
  
"Wow, your minds automatically link after you two are married, you even think alike!" Harry said in amazement.  
  
Remus and Alexandra just looked at each other and laughed.  
  
"Anyway, just wait an hour, you will have a shock," Harry said mysteriously. "I think I better go and find Hermione, excuse me...." he said and left.  
  
"Alex, do those Harry Potter books say anything about the relationship between Harry and Hermione?" Remus asked when they finally stopped laughing.  
  
Alexandra shook her head when someone tapped her shoulder; she turned around and saw an old man with wide, pale eyes, smiling at her.  
  
"Mr. Ollivander! Good to see you here!" Remus said happily.  
  
"Oh, so this is Mr. Ollivander, the one who makes fine wands?" Alexandra asked her husband excitedly.  
  
"The one and only," Remus replied.  
  
"Congratulations, Mr and Mrs. Lupin," Mr. Ollivander said and gave Alexandra a long box. "This is my wedding gift for the bride."  
  
"Mr. Ollivander, you shouldn't have," Alexandra said, taking the box.  
  
"It's all right," Mr. Ollivander said and paused. "Maybe you should open it and see if you like it."  
  
Alexandra gave a glance at Remus before she put it down on a table and opened it. When she did, she gave a soft gasp.  
  
A black wand was lying in the box.  
  
"Made especially for Muggle brides," Mr. Ollivander said proudly. "Holly and unicorn hair, 11 ½ inches."  
  
"Oh my," Remus said in awe.  
  
Alexandra slowly reached for the wand and took it out.  
  
"But I don't have any magical blood, how am I suppose to use it?" she asked slowly.  
  
"That is why I said that this kind of wand is made for Muggle brides. This special wand can work by itself, all it needs is your command," Mr. Ollivander said.  
  
"Does this wand know its owner?" Remus asked uncertainly.  
  
"Sure does. See the end of it," Mr. Ollivander instructed.  
  
Alexandra and Remus looked at the end of the wand and found the words "Alexandra Skipper Lupin" engraved on it.  
  
"Cool," Remus managed to say.  
  
"Why don't you give it a try?" Mr. Ollivander suggested.  
  
Now Alexandra knew how Harry felt when he first tried a wand. She was nervous and excited at the same time. What if the spell didn't work? She swallowed, raised the wand at her arm length and tried to think of a spell that she had read from the Harry Potter books.  
  
"Try the levitation charm," Remus whispered, almost as excited as his wife.  
  
Alexandra cleared her throat, swished and flicked her wand at a goblet and said slowly: "Wingardium Leviosa."  
  
At first, nothing happened. But then the goblet rose slowly in the air. Sirius, who was eating nearby, caught sight of the goblet and Alexandra and he nearly choked on his chicken.  
  
"Oh Merlin, Alexandra, you actually knows how to use a wand!" he exclaimed.  
  
All the people turned around and stared in amazement at the goblet and Alexandra. Alexandra just blushed, took the goblet, put it down and put the wand back into the box. She smiled and everyone smiled back and resumed whatever they were doing.  
  
"Oh my God, I actually do a spell!" Alexandra said in amazement.  
  
"Well, looks like the wand is in a perfect condition!" Mr. Ollivander said in delight.  
  
"Thank you so much for the wand, Mr. Ollivander," Alexandra said happily.  
  
"It's my pleasure," Mr. Ollivander said. "Now if you excuse me..." he said and walked off.  
  
"I'm so happy for you, Darling; you can do a real spell on your own!" Remus said before he gave his wife a light kiss.  
  
Alexandra was just too happy to respond.  
  
***  
  
An hour later, the Orchestra finished their break, went back to the platform and picked up their instruments.  
  
Oliver jumped onto it and called into a microphone: "Excuse me, may I have your attention please?"  
  
All of the people looked at him.  
  
"Thank you. Now, as far as I know, I think the newly wed couple is required to lead the first dance. The Gryffindor Orchestra will play "My Heart Will Go On", originally sung by the Muggle singer Celine Dion. Here, I will let Hermione Granger to do the singing, Hermione, please...."  
  
The crowd applauded as Hermione shyly took the microphone from Oliver.  
  
"Celine Dion! She is my favourite singer!" Alexandra said excitedly to Remus.  
  
Oliver turned to the orchestra, tapped on his conductor's stand and raised his arms as the orchestra started to play "My Heart Will Go On".  
  
Hermione cleared her throat and began to sing: "Every night in my dreams...."  
  
Remus smiled and offered Alexandra his hand. She took it and they started dancing gracefully.  
  
"How about a dance, my dear?" Dumbledore asked Professor McGonagall.  
  
"Certainly." She said, taking her husband's hand as he led her to the dance floor.  
  
"Wow, Hermione is singing a Muggle song! Hm, the song is pretty good... aren't the Muggles clever at writing lyrics?" Arthur Weasley said to his wife. "Want to dance to it, dear?"  
  
"Sure, why not?" Molly asked.  
  
"Are you happy now, Alex?" Remus asked his wife as they danced.  
  
"Why shouldn't I be? I survived poison; I came into a world where magic just comes out of anywhere, and most importantly," she leaned forward a little to rest her head on Remus's chest. "I get to marry the man I love."  
  
Remus just smiled and held his wife closer.  
  
And the both of them didn't let go of each other until the end of the dance.  
  
***  
  
"Get ready, ladies!" Alexandra called after the reception, the girls gathered behind her to prepare to catch her bouquet of roses.  
  
The bride turned her back to them, her arms raised with the roses. "Ready... Catch!"  
  
She tossed it back and the girls started to jump for it. The roses seem to be bouncing off each girl's fingers and finally, it landed neatly into Katie Bell's arms.  
  
"Oh my, looks like you are the one who is going to be married next time, Miss Bell," Professor McGonagall said.  
  
"Congratulations, Miss Bell," Alexandra said cheerfully.  
  
"But...but.." Katie began and sighed.  
  
"But what?" Hermione asked.  
  
"I don't think he is eager to marry me," Katie said grumpily. "He is so obsessed with his job."  
  
"You are half-correct," a male voice said.  
  
A person parted the crowd and Oliver stepped out slowly.  
  
"Oliver?" Katie asked.  
  
"Katie, you are right that I am obsessed with my job as the Puddlemere United keeper. But you are wrong to say that I am not eager to marry you," Oliver said slowly.  
  
"I am?"  
  
Oliver nodded. "I love you so much, Katie, just that I have never gotten a chance to prove my love to you in the past," he looked around. "Now I think I have my chance..."  
  
He walked to Katie and kneeled down in front of her.  
  
"Oliver, what...." Katie started.  
  
"Katie, will you marry me?"  
  
The crowd gasped and soon exciting whispers were heard.  
  
At first, Katie was stunned. Then she covered her mouth.  
  
"Say something, Katie," Alicia said, poking her side with her elbow.  
  
Katie sniffed and stared at Oliver, who was still on the ground. She nodded, blinking her tears away.  
  
Oliver grinned and stood up clumsily. "Really?" he asked breathlessly.  
  
Katie removed her hand and nodded again.  
  
The crowd applauded  
  
Oliver gave a short laugh and hugged Katie as tightly as he could.  
  
"Isn't this sweet?" Alexandra asked Remus as they watched Oliver released Katie a little to kiss her.  
  
Remus put his arm around his wife. "It is."  
  
***  
  
At night, all the guests had left Hogwarts. After cleaning up, the staff and students decided to go to bed immediately.  
  
"Don't worry, we won't wake up in the middle of the night and disturb your, ahem, honeymoon," Madam Hooch grinned mischievously at Remus and Alexandra outside Remus's bedroom.  
  
"Mandy!" Professor McGonagall said embarrassedly.  
  
"What?" Madam Hooch asked innocently.  
  
Professor McGonagall didn't know what to say. Dumbledore laughed and put his arm around his wife. "Come on, Minerva, let's go to bed."  
  
***  
  
"Wasn't today wonderful?" Alexandra said dreamily when she and Remus were lying on their bed, fully dressed.  
  
"Sure was," Remus said, closed his eyes and sighed happily.  
  
"It is like a dream come true." Alexandra smiled as she looked at the bedroom's ceiling, which was filled with stars. "Who decorated the ceiling anyway?"  
  
"Sirius," Remus answered. "He said that it could last only one night, so we had better make a full use of it."  
  
"It's beautiful. Pinch me, Remus."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"I want to see if I am dreaming."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
Remus reached out and pinched his wife on her side.  
  
"Ouch!"  
  
"Now do you believe it?"  
  
"Yes I do. But.... it is so unbelievable! My husband is Remus Lupin, I got married in Hogwarts, I was "given away" by Albus Dumbledore, the Gryffindor students are playing for our wedding, Professor Sprout was the one to do my hair and makeup, Madam Malkin is the one who do my dress, Mr. Ollivander actually gave me a real wand, Oliver Wood proposed to Katie Bell.... I can't believe that a Muggle like me can experience all this."  
  
"Well, you better believe it soon. Because from now on, you are going to live like a witch. Going to Diagon Alley, watching Quidditch matches, getting owl posts, writing with a quill instead of a pen...." Remus counted.  
  
"..getting into places to places using Floo Powder and the Knight Bus, using Galleons, Sickles and Knuts when purchasing stuff, wearing robes...we can go just on and on!" Alexandra laughed but then her face saddened.  
  
"What's wrong?" Remus asked in concern.  
  
"I miss Paris. I was looking forward to having her as my maid-of-honour."  
  
"I am sure that she will understand," Remus said in comfort.  
  
"..."  
  
"Tell you what, once you have gotten used to this world, we will go back to the Muggle world for a visit," Remus suggested.  
  
Alexandra gasped and grabbed her husband's midnight blue night shirt. "Really?"  
  
Remus nodded and smiled as Alexandra hugged him.  
  
His wife smiled when he hugged her in return. He released her and looked at her for a long while.  
  
"I love you," he whispered before he kissed her lips tenderly.  
  
The wedding night had begun.  
  
So what happened when Alexandra finally got used to the wizarding world? Stay tuned for the next and final chapter (*sniffs*) for Alexandra's meeting with her best friend Paris in the Muggle world! 


	18. Paris Again

Disclaimer: See the first 4 chapters.  
  
Thank you for your reviews! And thank you, Laura for being my Beta-Reader!  
  
To flamers: I don't take kindly to flames so back off, if you know what's good for you.  
  
Note: This is it, this is the last chapter.. *sniffs*  
  
Thank you for your reviews! *Dances around* 148 reviews! Thanks again for your support!  
  
Kimmaree- Hm, I don't know, I wanted to write a Sirius/OC romance with Remus and Alexandra as co-stars, but...we'll see about that  
  
Chapter 18: Paris Again  
  
Two years later, on a Muggle beach during the summer holidays  
  
"This feels kind of hot." Remus thought as he reached up to adjust his sunglasses. He was lying peacefully on a piece of blanket under a beach umbrella with only his shorts on. The weather was so good that he had decided to have a bit of tan, since Sirius pointed out that if he continued to stay indoors, his skin was going to be like Snape's. Besides, it's good to get some fresh air...  
  
"Remy, Dear, if you don't apply suntan lotion, you will get a horrible sunburn." Alexandra (who was wearing a blue swimming suit) said as she applied suntan lotion on her arm.  
  
"Really? What is it like, getting a sunburn, that is." Remus asked curiously.  
  
"First, your skin will turn red, then it will become painful, and a few days later it will be able to peel off." Alexandra said and continued to apply suntan lotion on her neck.  
  
Remus shuddered. "Okay, I am putting it on..." he said and took off his sunglasses.  
  
A few minutes later....  
  
"Alex, could you help me to apply suntan on my back?"  
  
"Sure, lie down." Alexandra said as she squeezed more lotion from the bottle onto her palm.  
  
Remus did and when Alexandra rubbed his back, he sighed happily and said: "Now this feels relaxing, feels like the massage you always give me when I come home for the holidays."  
  
Alexandra just smiled and continued.  
  
Remus yawned a little and fell asleep a minute later.  
  
"All right, I am done...." Alexandra said before she put the cap back on.  
  
No response.  
  
"Remy?"  
  
Alexandra leaned forward and found her husband asleep. She smiled again lovingly. She couldn't blame him for falling asleep when he was supposed to enjoy the day with her; he needed all the sleep he could get, since it was full moon last night.  
  
"I am going to swim, see you later." she whispered, even through she knew that he couldn't hear her.  
  
Alexandra got up, took a deep breath of the sea air and was just about to go to the sea when she remembered that Remus didn't seem to have put a Thief Curse on their belongings. So she squatted down, searched her bag for something and looked around. Then she drew the umbrella closer to her so that the people around her couldn't see what she was doing. She took out her wand, made sure that no one was looking, and muttered the Thief Curse.  
  
"It's so nice to know magic." she thought.  
  
When she was done, she got up again and ran enthusiastically towards the sea. She dived right into the water and resurfaced a few seconds later.  
  
"Ahh.." she sighed happily.  
  
She checked the shore to see whether Remus was still sleeping and he still was. She was beginning to swim further to the sea when a handsome man around 23 swam towards her.  
  
"Hi there, Miss, are you alone?"  
  
"Um..." Alexandra said slowly and took a brief glance at Remus.  
  
He was still sleeping.  
  
"Miss?"  
  
"No, I am not." she said.  
  
"Really? I don't see anyone beside you."  
  
"There is, my husband is at the shore." Alexandra said truthfully.  
  
"You mean the one sleeping under an umbrella?" the man asked.  
  
"How long has this man been looking at me?" Alexandra thought.  
  
"He looks like a good punch could finish him off."  
  
Alexandra scowled but the man didn't seem to notice.  
  
"Come on, he is sleeping, how about you and I go somewhere and come back before he wakes up?" The man asked and swam closer.  
  
"This man is behaving like Lockhart." Alexandra thought.  
  
"So? How about it?"  
  
"Oh help." she thought frantically.  
  
"Kevin, what are you doing?" a voice asked and both of them looked at the speaker.  
  
"Paris?" Alexandra asked uncertainly.  
  
"Alex? Is that you?" Paris asked in amazement.  
  
"You know her, Sis?" The man asked.  
  
"Sis? This man is your brother?" Alexandra asked.  
  
"He is, unfortunately." Paris said flatly.  
  
"Good, then tell your brother to back off, because I am already married, for two years, in fact."  
  
"Oh come on...." Kevin said before Paris pushed him. "Okay, Kevin, you heard her, go away."  
  
"Fine." Kevin said and swam off.  
  
"Oh my god, it's so good to see you!" Paris said happily and hugged her. When she released her, both women's eyes were filled with tears.  
  
They took a silent moment to look at each other carefully.  
  
"I miss you." Alexandra said finally.  
  
"So do I. Why don't we go ashore and find some place to talk?"  
  
"I love to, but I can't. Remus is sleeping on shore, if he wakes up and finds me gone.."  
  
"Remus? Remus Lupin? (Alexandra nodded) So you did marry him?" Paris said slowly.  
  
"Yeah. Besides, I don't have any Muggle money; I only have 3 Galleons and a few Sickles in my bag. But I have no choice, Remus and I need them to take the Knight Bus..."  
  
"Hm, Alex? I.."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I don't quite understand what you are saying."  
  
"Oops, sorry."  
  
"Why don't we just go to shore?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
***  
  
"He didn't change a bit." Paris commented when she saw Remus. "So is it true? You wrote in your farewell letter that he is a, um, a..." she looked around and whispered: "Wizard?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"And you married him?"  
  
"I thought I told you just now."  
  
"Oh. Well, good for you. You got the man of your dreams. So where are you two living now?" Paris asked as she and Alexandra sat down near Remus.  
  
"In the wizarding world."  
  
"What is it like?" Paris asked in interest.  
  
"Just like what J.K Rowling describes."  
  
"Do you like that world?"  
  
"I adore it! I get to watch Quidditch matches, but most of time they are Puddlemere United against another team because Oliver Wood is the Keeper of that team and he always gives Remus and I free tickets. I get to listen to the WWN and now my favourite singer is Celestina Warbeck. Now I understand why Sirius likes her, she is wonderful! And...."  
  
Alexandra rattled on and soon, Paris was lost. She couldn't understand a word her best friend was saying. She heard odd words like "Muggle", "Gringotts", "Diagon Alley", "Dungbombs", "Butterbeer" "Howler" ...  
  
"Um, Alex? How do you travel in that world?" Paris asked, thinking that it might be easier for her to listen to Alexandra about the transportation.  
  
"Oh well, since I don't have any magical blood, I can't ride a broom or Apparate. So I use the Floo Powder or the Knight Bus. I don't like using the Portkey, through, too painful.."  
  
Again, Paris was lost.  
  
"So what is Remus's real job?" she asked, trying to change the topic.  
  
"He is teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts."  
  
"Cool." That was what Paris managed to say.  
  
"I am sorry that you couldn't come to my wedding but it was held in my world, so.." Alexandra looked embarrassed.  
  
"It's okay." Paris said and grinned. "So, any children yet?"  
  
Alexandra blushed and smiled. She checked whether Remus was still sleeping and said quietly: "On the way."  
  
"Oh my, congratulations!" Paris said loudly.  
  
Alexandra putted her finger on her lips. "Shh, I don't want Remus to wake up, he needs his rest."  
  
"Sorry..so how many months now?" Paris asked in an excited whisper.  
  
"Two. Madam Pomfrey thinks that it is a girl."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Remus's school nurse. We are friends."  
  
"How could she detect that it is a girl when it is only two months?" Paris asked in bewilderment.  
  
"Magic."  
  
"Have you two thought up of any names yet?"  
  
"Actually, Remus still doesn't know about it. I am still trying to find a good time to tell him."  
  
"Well, you better tell him soon."  
  
"I will. Enough of me. How have you been these two years?"  
  
"Fine," Paris frowned a little. "And still no boyfriend."  
  
Alexandra smiled a little.  
  
"I am still the same old Paris...." Paris trailed off when Kevin called: "Sis! It's time to go home!"  
  
She groaned. "Oh, not now!"  
  
Remus opened his eyes at Kevin's cry and looked up. When he saw Paris, he asked: "Do I know you, Miss? You looked familiar.."  
  
"Remy, she is Paris, remember?" Alexandra asked as Remus got up.  
  
"Oh! I remember now! Hello," Remus said, holding out his hand to Paris. "Good to see you again."  
  
Paris smiled, took his hand and shook it.  
  
"Sis!" Kevin cried.  
  
"Okay, okay, I am coming!" Paris called back. "I am sorry that I couldn't stay and talk." she said sadly.  
  
"It's all right." Remus said.  
  
"Well, um, I got to go.." Paris said to Alexandra and the two friends hugged. "It's really good to see you." she said and smiled again when she let go of Alexandra.  
  
Alexandra grinned. "Good to see you too."  
  
***  
  
After Paris left, Alexandra sat down beside Remus.  
  
"Isn't it great to come to the beach, Remy?"  
  
"Sure is, I got a suntan, you got to meet your best friend, and.." Remus grinned slowly. "I got to hear an important announcement."  
  
"Really? Like what?" Alexandra asked.  
  
Still grinning, Remus put his arm over her shoulders. "Like my wife is pregnant."  
  
Alexandra gasped and looked at her husband. "How did you.."  
  
"I heard it."  
  
"But I thought.."  
  
"I woke up at your talking."  
  
"You sneak!" Alexandra said and punched her husband playfully. "You kept your eyes closed and continued to listen to our conversation!"  
  
"If I hadn't done that, I wouldn't know that I am going to be a father. But I have solved your problem, weren't you trying to find a way to tell me about it?"  
  
"Well, that's true." Alexandra said. "So, do you have any names in mind?"  
  
"Hm, how about Artemis?"  
  
"Perfect." Alexandra said and smiled softly when Remus kissed her forehead.  
  
He held her closer and they remained in peaceful silence as they watched the beautiful sunset.  
  
The End 


End file.
